A New Generation
by fanfiction9821
Summary: When their worlds are threatened by a great evil, the next generation will stand together in order to stop it. Features characters and elements from multiple fandoms and Sonic the Hedgehog characters from Mobius: 25/30 Years Later. 3rd genre: Sci-Fi
1. Chapter 1

"Didn't I tell you this was a good idea, Sonia," Josh asked as he and Sonia rested on a hill overlooking Station Square.

"You were right as always, Josh. This was an amazing idea," Sonia said, snuggling close to her lover.

"It's only better because you're here, Sonia."

"Oh, Josh."

"Can I get you another sandwich," Josh asked.

"Of course," Sonia said.

"I'll get right on that." Josh then dug around in the picnic basket lying next to him for a sandwich. "There you are," Josh said as he handed the sandwich to Sonia.

"Thanks for the sandwich, Josh," Sonia said in a voice that wasn't her own. Josh whirled around to see that Sonia had mysteriously disappeared and that he was by himself in a dark forest.

"Anyone there?" Josh then got up before looking around in the forest for anyone else.

"Josh, you must listen closely to me."

"Who's there," Josh asked as he looked for the source of the voice.

"Behind you," the voice said. Josh then spun around to see a hedgehog with brown fur, yellow eyes, and green sneakers.

"Who are you and why do I feel like I should know you?"

"You should know my mother at least."

"Your mother," Josh muttered to himself before realizing the identity of the hedgehog. "My God. I do know you. You're..." Josh stopped mid-sentence after seeing the hedgehog had mysteriously vanished before he could finish. He jolted awake uncontrollably and wiped the sweat off his forehead before looking around his room for any sign of the hedgehog from his dreams.

"Nothing," Josh said before getting out of his bed. He then walked over to his bathroom before turning on his sink and splashing some cold water on his face.

"It was probably nothing. It was just a dream, dude. Just a dream." Josh looked to see the hedgehog from his dream as his reflection.

"Far from it, Josh," the hedgehog said.

"Who are you," Josh asked.

"You should know the answer to that question, Josh. I know who you are and you know who I am."

"I do. You're the son of Leaf, an old associate of my dad."

"Precisely. I am Thorn and I have come bearing a message I had hoped against hope would reach you quickly," Thorn said.

"Well, what is it," Josh asked, drying his face off with a towel.

"She's coming, Josh. She's coming and you won't be able to do anything to stop her."

"Who's coming?" Josh stopped drying off his face only to see that Thorn had disappeared before he could get a straight answer.

"Maybe some TV will do the trick," Josh said before seating on his personal couch. He then used his telekinesis to bring the remote on the other side of the couch closer to him.

"I sometimes wonder why I have servants to do my work when I could do it myself with my powers." He then turned on the TV to see an island unfamiliar to him disappearing.

"That's weird," Josh said before switching to another channel. There, he saw a city unknown to him in a sepia tone and people going about their everyday lives, unable to speak.

"What is going on?" He then flipped to another channel to see a blonde-haired teenager fighting against bounty hunters alongside him and three others he didn't recognize.

"This TV is defective," Josh said before flipping to a black screen.

"Maybe not as defective as you think," Thorn said as he appeared.

"Why are you haunting me?!"

"I'm merely warning you about an unavoidable disaster and showing you some of the events that will happen over the course of your vacation from school. The only way to do this is to monitor your activity with my various powers."

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to listen to another word you say," Josh said.

"I get the feeling you're not believing what you see before you," Thorn said.

"I don't! I'm spending my entire summer break with my friends and I'm definitely not listening to anything you're saying."

"I implore you to reconsider your decision. If you stay on Sol, you will not be able to leave."

"Reconsider this," Josh said before turning off his TV. "That'll show you, Thorn." Josh then walked over to his bed to see a scroll of parchment lying on his pillow. He glanced to his window but saw it was still closed.

"What is this," Josh muttered as he opened the scroll. On it read the following: 'Josh, you must listen to me. Otherwise, your world and others like it will be no more. If you wish to avoid a fate worse than death, you must find the Human with Powers like No Other, the Siblings who can Transform at Will, and the High-Tech Thief with a Historical Family. You must be the one to find these individuals, Josh Hedgehog. You are the one destined to unite these and others against a common enemy. You are the Great One. Sincerely, Thorn.'

"The Great One. What a load." Josh then tossed the scroll into the trash bin beside his desk before climbing into bed. "The nerve of that guy, thinking I'm something special. Besides being a prince, I'm nothing more than your run-of-the-mill Mobian. Nothing more, nothing less. That's all there is to it," Josh said before drifting into the sweet bliss of sleep. Unknown to him, he would soon be embarking on an epic journey to worlds far beyond his own, finding allies to help him in his quest, and risking his life to put an end to evil for all time.


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you sure you'll be fine driving yourself to school, Josh," Rocket asked as he, Josh, Blaze, and Lindsay ate breakfast.

"Of course, Dad. I've done it before, so why shouldn't I do it today," Josh said before he took a bite of his cereal.

"Can't argue with that logic."

"Not even if you tried," Blaze said.

"Truly," Rocket said as he took a drink of his coffee.

"I guess I get that from you, Dad."

"Along with my appearance and powers."

"Yeah," Josh said before gulping his milk down.

"Not too fast, Josh. You'll hurt yourself."

"How exactly will I hurt myself by drinking my milk too fast, Mom?"

"I'm not sure," Blaze said, not able to answer her son's question.

"Looks like you can't answer Josh's question, Mom," Lindsay said.

"I have that effect on most people," Josh said before strapping his backpack on.

"Be careful driving to school, Josh," Rocket said as Josh dashed to the kitchen door.

"I will, Dad." Josh then walked all the way to the garage where his Camaro was stored before grabbing his keys. After getting in, he put his backpack in the passenger seat before inserting the keys into the ignition and starting the car.

"Runs just as great as ever," Josh said before backing out of the garage and driving onto the road.

* * *

While driving to his school, Josh noticed that his rearview mirror was crooked. Knowing better than to distract himself from driving, Josh resolved to fix the crooked mirror after he had parked at the school. His thoughts then drifted to the hedgehog from last night and his ludicrous message.

"That guy thought I would be some kind of hero, bringing together a team of misfits. The audacity of that prick." Moments later, Josh parked in the student parking lot of his school before fixing the crooked rearview mirror. As soon as it was straightened, he saw Thorn in the back seat through the mirror but not in reality.

"You shouldn't have thrown out my scroll, Josh," Thorn said.

"Haunting me in my dreams and my room wasn't good enough for you," Josh asked.

"You should have let your father drive you to your school, not that it would make much of a difference."

"What exactly are you talking about, Thorn?"

"I won't explain myself until you accept the mission," Thorn said.

"You mean the mission to find some guy with amazing powers, a brother/sister team of shapeshifters, and a thief with a family in the history books? That's not a mission. That's the beginning to a bad joke," Josh said.

"This isn't a time for jokes, Josh. This is a time of seriousness."

"And that scroll wasn't a joke?"

"No, it wasn't. It was a message to let you know about future events," Thorn said.

"Maybe to you," Josh muttered before his door was opened by a monitor lizard.

"Are you all right, Josh? What were you doing," the lizard asked.

"I'm okay, Damon. I was just fighting with my inner self."

"Well, you definitely had the right place for that."

"I try not to fight with myself in public," Josh said, trying his best not to laugh.

"That's good, man. Anyway, we better get inside. School's about to start," Damon said.

"You go. I'll be in as fast as possible."

"Coming from you, that's a promise." Damon then backed away from Josh before walking into the school.

"No more of your bull, Thorn. I'm not listening anything you have to say. I'm done," Josh said before grabbing his backpack and heading inside.

"You'll reconsider your decision sooner or later, Josh." Unknown to Josh, he was being observed from the airless atmosphere of outer space by a shadowy figure sitting in a throne.

"The time to act is drawing near with each passing minute. Soon enough, every existing world in the universe will be ruled by me," the figure said before getting up from her throne.

"It's time to initiate Phase 2 of my plot and I know just where to start." The figure then left the room to put her nefarious plan into action.

* * *

In their private quarters located in the castle, Rocket and Blaze were enjoying some alone time wrapped in each other's embrace. They passionately kissed for what seemed like an eternity before breaking apart.

"Just like in our youth."

"Indeed." Rocket and Blaze were too involved with each other that they didn't notice the vines creeping their way towards them.

"In your own personal opinion, what would be your favorite horror movie," one of the guards posted outside Rocket and Blaze's room asked.

"I'd have to say The Cabin in the Woods," the other guard said.

"Mine would have to be the original Nightmare on Elm Street."

"I get that. The remake wasn't all that great."

"I just can't believe they replaced Robert Englund as Krueger. He was the best in all of the movies," the guard said.

"I honestly think they shouldn't have made the movie in the first place," the second guard said.

"Definitely." Rocket and Blaze's screaming was what brought the guards running in to see they had disappeared.

"Alert the princess." The guard then ran to get Lindsay and inform about her parents' disappearance.

"Princess Lindsay," the guard said as he burst into Lindsay's room.

"What's going on?"

"The king and queen have disappeared."

"You're lying," Lindsay said as she set down her Twilight.

"You should know I don't lie. This way," the guard said before leading Lindsay to her parents' room. Inside she saw that her parents had truly disappeared.

"Where are they?"

"I was hoping you would answer that question." Lindsay stepped inside and saw no evidence of where her parents might have gone. Before leaving, she saw a message on the wall: I Have Returned.

"'I Have Returned'," the guard said as he read the message on the wall.

"She's back," Lindsay said before dashing out of the room.

"Where are you going?"

"To get Josh."

"Be careful," the guard said.

"Of course," Lindsay said before exiting the castle.


	3. Chapter 3

"And further more, Paris might be considered one of the greatest cities in the world because it had some very important figures of history. Napoleon Bonaparte, Joan of Arc, Rob Cooper," Josh's social studies teacher explained.

"And just who was Rob Cooper," one of the other students asked.

"Well, Rob was the latest in a long line of master thieves known as the Cooper Clan. This legacy started with Caveman Cooper and ended with Rob, extending throughout famous periods of history."

'Throughout famous periods of history. Interesting. Wait. Thorn's scroll. It mentioned a high-tech thief with a historical family. I wonder if Rob just happens to be that thief,' Josh thought as his teacher explained the entire Cooper Clan.

"You mentioned that the Cooper Clan ended with Rob. Does that mean this guy's dead," another student asked.

"Oh, yes. He met his untimely end responding to a false advertisement of a rare and valuable treasure that was made by Interpol, the very police force who had been hunting him ever since he became a thief," the teacher answered.

"Excuse me, Ms. Ford, but what kind of skills did Rob have that helped him out with his thefts," Josh asked.

"Well, Rob didn't have any skills except for his mechanical creativity. He created many gadgets that helped him pull off thefts all over the world."

'I thought as much. I guess Thorn knew about Rob's death and was warning me to save him before his life could be cut down before it even began.'

'Perceptive, Josh. You've cracked part of my riddle,' Thorn said, infiltrating Josh's mind.

'How did you get into my head,' Josh asked mentally.

'I'm using the very powers that I used to reach out to you last night.'

'Now that I cracked one part of that riddle of yours, I just need to find the Human with Powers like No Other and the Siblings that can Transform at Will.'

'Indeed,' Thorn said before his presence disappeared from Josh's mind.

"Josh? Josh," Ms. Ford said, trying to get Josh's attention.

"Yes, Ms. Ford."

"You're wanted in the front office."

"What for," Josh asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," Ms. Ford said.

"Well, thanks for letting me know." Josh then got his backpack before walking out of the classroom and all the way to the front office.

"Josh," Lindsay said as she watched Josh enter the office.

"What's going on, Lindsay? Did something happen back at home," Josh asked.

"You could say that, Josh."

"Well, what happened?"

"I'll tell you on the way back. Still got your Camaro keys," Lindsay asked.

"I always do," Josh said before walking out of the office, Lindsay following close behind.

* * *

Moments later, Josh was filling his backpack with necessities he would need for his journey to find his parents. He glanced at the scroll in the trash and decided to take that with him. Lindsay walked into the room with the mission to try to talk him out of embarking on a dangerous quest.

"Josh, think about this."

"I already have, Lindsay. I need to find where Mom and Dad went and save them."

"You're not going. You could wind up dead," Lindsay said.

"Sorry, Lindsay. I need to do this," Josh said.

"Fine. Then I'm coming with you." Josh thought about his current situation before conceding to his sister's demands.

"All right. Pack your vampire romance novels and what else you need and meet me out by the entrance."

"I will," Lindsay said before walking over to her room and packing what she needed. Moments later, Josh stood at the castle's doors, waiting for Lindsay to come down with her pack.

"Ready," Josh asked as Lindsay walked over to him.

"I am."

"Great." Josh then used his telekinesis to open the door. Just before they could step out into the sunshine, one of the guards ran up to them with a sword sheathed in an elaborately designed scabbard.

"Wait, Josh. Your father wanted you to have this," the guard said before handing the sword to Josh.

"Thanks," Josh said before he and Lindsay stepped outside.

"Where are we going first," Lindsay asked.

"One second." Josh then pulled out his iPhone before dialing a number from his speed-dial.

"Damon, bad news, bro. I gotta go risk my neck in order to find my parents. I won't be able to spend the summer with you and Jason. All right. See you," Josh said before ending the call.

"Sorry, had to call Damon to let him know that I couldn't make it."

"That's okay. So where are we going first?"

"That's an easy question. We're going to Mobius to get a few more friends," Josh said before pulling out his portable teleporter and programming the coordinates to Mobius.

"You're only going to check on Sonia," Lindsay said as she clasped hands with Josh.

"I am and there's nothing you can do to stop me." He and Lindsay disappeared in a bright flash of light, not knowing they were being watched by the same figure that was watching Josh earlier.

"I had figured they would go back in time and prevent the death of that blasted Cooper. No matter. He and his sister won't get too far if I have anything to say about this," the figure said before walking over to a covered portrait displayed in her quarters.

"I think it's about time to get some help." The figure then grabbed the robe lying on her desk before stepping out.


	4. Chapter 4

After disappearing from Sol in a bright flash of light, Josh and Lindsay reappeared in the center of Station Square, located on the surface of Mobius. (But I'm sure all those Sonic fans already knew that much). They separated hands before looking around the grand city they had found themselves in.

"Now that we're here, we just need to find the castle," Lindsay said.

"That's easy. We just need to find Jenna and she could lead us there," Josh said.

"That's good. Nice job."

"I always think up a simple plan." Josh then walked over to a Mobian cheetah who was standing in front of a flower stand, buying a bouquet of roses.

"Who are the flowers for, mate," Josh asked, getting the cheetah's attention.

"You scared me, man," the cheetah said.

"Sorry about that."

"It's cool. The roses just happens to be for my girlfriend."

"That's cool. Good luck with the relationship," Josh said.

"Thanks. The name's Mick," the cheetah said, introducing himself.

"Josh."

"Josh? You're Prince Josh."

"I am, but don't go spreading that to anyone. I'm on a mission of extreme importance. Have you seen a wolf with white fur and green eyes anywhere around here," Josh asked.

"Yeah. I saw someone looking like that going that way," Mick said, pointing in a direction with his rose bouquet.

"Awesome. Thanks for the help, Mick, and I hope that things go with that girlfriend of yours."

"Thanks. I hope our paths cross again someday."

"Well," Lindsay asked as Josh walked up to her.

"Jenna was seen headed that way by that cheetah," Josh said.

"Are you sure that he gave you the right information?"

"Of course I am. Since when can you not trust a cheetah?"

"I suppose that makes sense," Lindsay said before she and Josh walked away to travel the way Jenna had been seen going. Unknown to them, a coyote on one of the rooftops watched them as they walked into a deeper part of Station Square. He then pressed a button on the communication device placed near his ear.

"The prince and princess have taken the bait. They're heading to your location. Over," the coyote said.

"Roger that. Operation Mobian Entrapment is going according to plan," the voice on the other end said.

* * *

"Weird. I don't see Jenna anywhere," Josh said as he and Lindsay looked around the section of Station Square they were in.

"I don't see her either. We should split up so we can find her better."

"Smart thinking. I'll go east while you head west. Sounds good?"

"It does. See you when you find her," Lindsay said before she and Josh went their separate ways. While looking around his area, Josh saw a shadow move behind him.

"Who's there," Josh asked before waiting for a reply.

"Nothing. Just be hearing things." Josh then moved ahead and further into the area before continuing his search for Jenna. Just when he was close to giving up and turning around to meet Lindsay, a blur of white ran past.

"Jenna," Josh said as he chased after the blur. Eventually, the blur led him to an abandoned part of town where no one dared to go.

"Hello? Jenna? Jen, are you there?"

"I can't believe that worked. You must be dumber than you look, kid," a voice said.

"Who's there," Josh asked before a falcon, a tiger, a lion, a hawk, and a bull all stepped out of the shadows.

"This is the prince our boss wants? A scrawny little rodent," the bull asked.

"Excuse me! I am no ordinary rodent."

"Indeed you aren't. You're the greatest prize of all," the hawk said.

"Who are you," Josh asked.

"A gang of bounty hunters always looking to make a few bucks," the lion said.

"Bounty hunters. Just like last night. Thorn was helping me."

"Enough of this! Get up, you rodent! It's time we took you to our boss."

"Let go of me," Josh shouted.

"You're in no position to order us around," the falcon said.

"He may not be, but we are," a voice familiar to Josh said before a blast of lunar energy knocked the tiger back. A wolf then jumped down to the ground to make contact with Josh and the other bounty hunters.

"Jenna!"

"Nice to you again, Josh," Jenna said before Manik, Lara, Sonia, Shade, and Jewel ran up to them.

"Am I glad to see you guys," Josh said.

"You better not have been hurting my best friend," Manik said.

"What would happen if we were?"

"Then I would have to do this." Manik then curled himself into a ball before launching himself into the bull restraining Josh.

"Thanks, man."

"Anytime, Josh," Manik said.

"The boss didn't tell us about these meddling Mobians," the bull said as he and his tiger friend got back to their feet.

"We'll be back, you rodent," the tiger said before he and the others disappeared in flashes of blue light.

"Glad that's been averted," Josh said before Sonia surprised him by pressing her lips against his.

"It's nice to see you again, Josh," Sonia said after she pulled away from Josh.

"Same here, Sonia."

"What are you doing here," Shade asked.

"Just passing through. That's all," Josh said.

"We better take you to Castle Acorn," Jewel said.

"Good thinking, Jewel. Wait. Lindsay's back there."

"Lindsay's here?"

"Yeah, just back there," Josh said.

"Jewel and I can get her and bring her to the castle. Go on ahead," Lara said.

"Be careful. Who knows how many bounty hunters are after us."

"We will. See you at the castle." Jewel and Lara then doubled back to get Lindsay while Sonia, Manik, Josh, Shade, and Jenna started the way back to Castle Acorn.


	5. Chapter 5

"Thank you," Josh said as he was served a glass of water by Sonia.

"You're welcome. Now could you explain why you and Lindsay came to Mobius in the first place," Sonia asked as she took a seat next to Josh.

"All right. Lindsay and I only came here to find out what happened to our parents. I'm sure the same thing must have happened to yours."

"It did. They're gone as well."

"I'm so sorry, Sonia. I will do everything in my power to save them and whoever else has gone missing," Josh said as he looked at Sonia's eyes.

"Do you promise," Sonia asked as she looked at Josh's eyes.

"I promise that I will bring your parents back to you and Manik."

"Thank you, Josh."

"Of course," Josh said before he and Sonia met in a kiss that they held for three minutes before breaking apart.

"Now that the revolting display of affection is done, why don't you tell us why you were in that area of Station Square," Shade asked.

"I was just looking for Jenna so she could lead me and Lindsay back here. I had absolutely no idea I'd get jumped by those bounty hunters."

"You definitely had the right person in mind to look for. If there's one person who knows Sonia and I live, it's Jenna," Manik said.

"Manik, you always say the sweetest things," Jenna said.

"I do have Josh to thank for that."

"Yeah, you do," Josh said before Lara, Lindsay, and Jewel entered the room.

"There you are, Josh. I was worried something happened to you," Lindsay said.

"I take it you and Lara were able to find her, Jewel."

"We were here. After we had gotten Lindsay, we saw Argyle and asked if he could drive us here. He agreed and here we are," Jewel said.

"I guess he's outside parking," Josh asked.

"He is. Just give him a couple of minutes. He'll be up."

"Good. I could use his help, too."

"Why," Lara asked.

"I need to go back a few years to stop something that's been written down in the history books, if he'll allow it," Josh said before Argyle came into the room.

"I know I heard my name being said on my way up, but I'm not sure why that would be," Argyle said.

"Because Josh needs your help going back in time to stop an event that happened."

"I may be able to help, but I need to know what you're going to prevent first."

"Ever heard of a guy named Rob Cooper?"

"Yeah. The final link in the chain known as the Cooper Clan. Met his maker when he replied to a valuable treasure made up by Interpol. With his death, the Coopers faded into obscurity," Argyle said.

"Good. I need your help so I can stop him from being fired upon by officers," Josh said.

"I definitely can help there. I have been working on a machine that could be used to go back to a certain period of time to prevent a death or event that shouldn't have happened in the first place."

"Where is it?"

"Back at my place. It'll take some time to crate the components and bring them back here so I could put it together," Argyle said.

"Then do it. We'll be here when you get back," Josh said before Argyle left the room. A hour later, Argyle came back with the machine crated up in three crates and brought them up before putting it together and attaching his laptop to it.

"All right. We're up and running. If you get lost, there'll be a blue beacon shining to show you the way back here. Let me enter the exact date Rob's end was brought to a stop and send you back about twenty minutes before so you can find him and bring him here."

"Great, so I just stand on the platform and be sent to the point in time you programmed into the machine?"

"Precisely. Good luck, Marty," Argyle said as Josh stood on the platform.

"See you when I get back, Doc," Josh said before he was sent back in time.

"Where did you send him back to," Jewel asked.

"Back to Paris, France, home to Rob and his family. I'm hoping Josh will be quick enough to save him and the entire Cooper Clan."


	6. Chapter 6

"Okay, let's see. Eiffel Tower's there. I must be in the right place and the right time. I just need to find Rob before he gets himself killed," Josh said before seeing a raccoon standing by a street corner, looking around for police officers.

"That must be Rob. I just need to tail him and keep from being seen." Josh then walked into a nearby alley before concentrating on not being seen by anyone while tracking Rob.

"Just need to follow that the directions on that notice I found earlier and I'll find that piece of treasure that's eluded my grasp," Rob said as he sneaked around, unknowingly being followed by Josh.

'You'll find something, that's for sure. Something that you'll pay the ultimate price for,' Josh thought as he followed Rob to the Parisian docks. Once Rob had gotten to the warehouse he needed to go to, Josh became visible again before running up to him.

"Stop! You'll die if you go in there," Josh said.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Just a friend. That's all there is."

"I've never seen you around here before," Rob said.

"I know you haven't. I'm from a different time. A time where the Earth is no more and has been taken over by animals walking on two legs, just like us," Josh said.

"Okay. And what? You came here in a DeLorean?"

"No."

"TARDIS," Rob asked.

"No," Josh said.

"Phone booth."

"You're not listening to me! If you go in there, you will die and so will the Cooper Clan!"

"How'd you know about that," Rob asked.

"It's like what I've said. I'm from the future. I'm here to warn you not to go in that warehouse. Otherwise, your entire legacy goes down in flames," Josh said.

"That's still not answering my question."

"I know. I'll get to that in a minute."

"All right. If you're from the future, then why did I come into contact with that ad on the Internet," Rob asked.

"That was Interpol. They made that up to lead you here so they could kill you," Josh said.

"Those jerks. It's bad enough that they chase all over the globe, but now they fake a treasure. Then again, what kind of treasure would be hiding in a warehouse? Okay, you've convinced me. Lead the way."

"Cool. I just need to find that beacon."

"Beacon? Why would you be looking for a beacon," Rob asked as Josh searched the skies.

"It's our only way to getting back to my time," Josh said.

"Is that it?" Josh then followed Rob's finger to the blue light hiding behind the Arc de Triomphe.

"That's it. Good eye, Rob." Josh then followed Rob as he led the way to the beacon back to Mobius. Unknown to either of them, they were being observed by a female mouse watching them from a nearby rooftop.

"You're not getting away from us that easily, Rob," she said before following Rob and Josh.

"Hey, Rob."

"Yeah," Rob asked.

"Do you ever get the feeling that you're being followed most of the time," Josh asked.

"Actually, yeah. I know this girl that's in Interpol. I met her a couple months back. She may be able to rise up in their ranks."

"Sounds like you know her pretty well."

"Yeah. When we were still friends, we actually liked being around each other," Rob said.

"Oh, definitely sounds you were starting to like her," Josh said.

"Not anymore. All those feelings disappeared when we met that night we found each other on the opposite side of the law."

"That's too bad. Sounds like you two may have become more than just friends."

"Yeah, but there's only one compromise," Rob said.

"And that would be what exactly," Josh asked.

"That either I become a part of Interpol and give up my legacy or she becomes a thief and leaves her virtues behind."

"That sounds like something that will never happen."

"Exactly. There'll be snow in Florida the day I become a cop," Rob said.

"Or when this friend of yours becomes like you," Josh said.

"That's precisely my point, mate. I'm not becoming a officer of the law and there's no way in hell she'll join me in my adventures. Our friendship and feelings for each others derailed that one night." Up on the rooftop, the mouse listened to every part of the conversation happening below her.

"He liked me? I don't believe it. This is unprecedented. I have to go after him."

"Looks like we're close to the arc. From there, we go on a journey of epic proportions."

"I am one for adventures. I'm sure Lori would be interested as well."

"Lori? Was that the friend you were talking about," Josh asked.

"Yeah. My dad and her dad ran in the same circle all those years ago," Rob said.

"As thieves?"

"Precisely. I'm actually surprised that Lore picked a lifestyle that contradicted the one her dad lived."

"You're lying. My dad wasn't a thief," Lori said as she walked up to Rob and Josh.

"Lori," Rob asked.

"So you're Lori," Josh said.

"And who might you be?"

"I'm confused on that, too, Lore. I didn't ask for his name."

"I'm Josh. Josh Hedgehog, as you can tell."

"All right. Looks like introductions are over, so let's get a move, Josh," Rob said.

"My dad wasn't a thief like yours. He was a scientist," Lori said.

"I get it now," Josh said.

"Get what?"

"Your dad only told you he was a scientist so you wouldn't go prodding around in his past and find out he was a thief as much as Rob's dad was."

"That's clever. You've got an agile mind, Josh."

"You're not exactly the first to say so, but thanks," Josh said.

"My dad lied to me. Why would he do that," Lori asked.

"To protect you. If you became a thief like Rob, then both of you would be on the run from Interpol. He lied to you so you would be safe. If it weren't for his lies, then you both of you would be on Interpol's hit list."

"There's that cleverness again," Rob said.

"Quiet, Rob. Your dad lied so you would be safe from Interpol's eye. He saved you from becoming what he was all that time ago," Josh said.

"I've never thought of it like that. If you'll let me, I'd like to come with you and Josh, Rob."

"Then come on." Rob, Lori, and Josh then made their way to the beacon only for it to disappear suddenly before they could go back.

"Where'd it go," Lori asked.

"I'm not sure, Lori. I don't know what happened," Rob said.

"Look!" Rob and Lori then followed Josh's finger and saw a net of pure energy emerging from the north.

"What is that?!"

"I don't know, but it doesn't look good. Let's move!" Rob, Josh, and Lori then ran for their very lives as the energy net started to cover Paris.

"We're almost to the outskirts! Speed it up," Lori shouted.

"Okay," Josh and Rob said as they and Lori continued the run to Paris' border. Time seemed to slow down as they exerted all of their energy to escape from the net's hold.

"Grab my hands!" Both Rob and Lori did as Josh told them to before he used his super speed to get them to safety.


	7. Chapter 7

"Rob, wake up. Rob," Lori said as she tried desperately to reawaken Rob from a seemingly endless slumber.

"This isn't good," Rob heard Josh muttered as he came back around.

"Rob, please wake up."

"Lore," Rob asked.

"Rob, you're okay," Lori said.

"Of course. You can't keep a good thief down."

"Let me help you up."

"Thanks, Lori," Rob said as Lori helped him to his feet.

"Who would do this?"

"What's going on, Josh?"

"Take a look, guys," Josh said before Lori and Rob met him at the edge of the crater he was standing near.

"What is this," Rob asked as he and Lori looked at the crater.

"That is where Paris used to stand. The Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe. They're gone. And I guess they're not the only cities to go missing." Rob and Lori then looked around and saw smoke rising from other locations on the European continent.

"What's going on, Josh?"

"Entire cities must be disappearing off not only this Earth, but all others, I would assume. I may have saved you and I could still save the Siblings who can Transform at Will, but there's no chance I could save the Human with Powers like No Other. It's impossible he was living in any of the cities that disappeared," Josh said.

"What," Rob asked.

"I was sent here so I could save you and three others from being captured by some evil person. I didn't know if he was just acting crazy or if he was telling the truth, but now I know he was doing the latter rather than the former."

"You are correct, Josh," Thorn said as he walked up to Josh, Rob, and Lori.

"You knew about this, Thorn. You knew about this plot, didn't you," Josh asked.

"Indeed I did. You are right. It is too late to save the Human with Powers like No Other. He was residing in Washington, D.C. when it disappeared."

"Chase Witwicky."

"Who?"

"Chase Witwicky. He was born in D.C. I saw a video of him on a talk show exhibiting an unique power of his," Rob said.

"What power would that be exactly," Lori asked.

"The power to transform any kind of machine into a Transformer under his control."

"A Transformer?"

"A organism that can take the form of any device in its vicinity. Their home world was named Cybertron. It's gone now, but there was two races in the past; the heroic Autobots and the treacherous Decepticons. In the end, the last remains of the Decepticons were destroyed in a final battle located in Chicago, Illinois," Thorn said.

"No doubt that's gone, too."

"He had this scar on his hand that he said that he got from touching a piece of the Allspark," Rob said.

"What is the Allspark, Thorn," Lori asked.

"It was the one thing that would have brought back Cybertron and make it safe for the Autobots. Unfortunately, it was destroyed when Chase's father placed it in the chest of Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons. It could also be used to bring inactive machines to life much like Chase was able to do."

"Where to now, Thorn," Josh asked.

"To the home of the Siblings that can Transform at Will," Thorn said.

"Where are we going?"

"All in good time, Lori. Now form a chain so I may bring you to their world." Josh then placed his right hand in Thorn's left hand before placing his left hand in Rob's right. Rob placed his left hand in Lori's right hand while she placed her left hand in Thorn's right. Thorn's eyes then glowed before he, Josh, Rob, and Lori disappeared in a brilliant flash of light.

* * *

Moments after disappearing from the site of Paris' disappearance, Josh, Thorn, Rob, and Lori reappeared in a city known as Petalburg City.

"We're here," Thorn said.

"Where are we," Lori asked as she, Rob, and Josh.

"The home of Pokémon. Wonderful creatures. They're actually designed after various organisms from Chase's Earth such as horses, owls, rhinos, and eagles."

"Why do we look so different?"

"It's the law of interdimensional travel. All outside travelers must be changed to fit the physiology of the world."

"Precisely," Thorn said.

"I read a lot of sci-fi stories in my spare time," Rob said.

"Whenever you're not stealing something valuable," Josh asked.

"Yeah. I need something to do whenever I'm between heists, so I took up reading. It's actually a pretty good form of entertainment."

"That's really interesting, Rob."

"So why are we here, Thorn?"

"Just to find two people and go back to where Josh first came from."

"And where would these two be," Lori asked.

"At the Petalburg gym, I would assume," Thorn said before walking away.

"Think we should follow him, Josh," Rob asked.

"We have to if we want to find out where my parents, your parents, Lori's parents, and Paris disappeared to," Josh said before following Thorn.

"I have to say that he makes a very good point, Rob."

"He actually does." Rob and Lori then followed Josh as Thorn led them all to their destination. Once they had reached the door of the residence that was part of the Petalburg, Josh stepped forward before knocking and waiting for a response. Moments later, a teenager with dark hair, brown eyes, a plain white t-shirt, and boxers opened the door before inspecting Josh, Thorn, Rob, and Lori.

"Whatever you're selling, we don't want any," he said before closing the door. Rob yelped as his foot stopped the door from closing entirely.

"What do you want? I'm busy."

"Doing what exactly?"

"Just relaxing. I deserve it after doing time in the clink," he said.

"School's that hard, huh," Josh asked.

"Yeah. I guess you know what I'm talking about."

"I do. I'm on summer vacation, too. I'm Josh."

"Aaron. Aaron Ketchum. Nice to meet you, Josh," Aaron said.

"It's nice to be met, Aaron," Josh said before Aaron led him and everyone else inside. Once inside, Lori had made an ice pack to help Rob's swollen foot.

"So what brings you and your friends, Josh?"

"We just need to save you and your sister, Aaron."

"How did you know about my sister," Aaron asked.

"Ask Thorn. He's the one who's been watching you in a non-pervy kind of way," Josh said.

"Have you really been watching us?"

"I have. It's difficult to explain, but you and your sister are in danger and you need to come with us right away. Otherwise, your lives are in danger."

"All right," Aaron said before getting up. "Lily, get your stuff! We're going on a road trip!"

"Okay," a voice said before Aaron sat back down.

"So where are we going first," Aaron asked.

"Versailles, France. I've got a safe house there with the same kind of tech that could be able to send Josh back to where he left," Rob said.

"Let me get dressed first." Aaron then got up to go to his room before turning around to face the others.

"What is it, Aaron?"

"First, we have to make a little detour. There's someone I'd really like to save before something bad happens," Aaron said.

"Fair deal. Where does this friend of yours live?"

"Pallet Town, the very town my dad grew up in."


	8. Chapter 8

Once Aaron had dressed himself and introduced Josh, Rob, Lori, and Thorn to his younger sister, Lily, they set off for Pallet Town. Along the way, Lily had a look of dread, like she knew who Aaron was going to save. Once they had reached the very residence Aaron was looking for, he walked up to the front door, knocked, and waited patiently for a response.

"I still can't believe you're saving her. I just can't stand the relationship between you two," Lily groaned.

"Quiet, Lily. I'm only saving her because I don't want anything bad happening to her when this world just disappear without a single trace," Aaron said before the door opened. In the doorframe, a male teenager with red hair, viridian (blue-green for those who don't know any advanced colors) eyes, striped pajamas, and slippers.

"Well, we meet again, Aaron," he said.

"Hey, Marty. Is Ella in or did I just miss her?"

"I thought I've told you to never call Marty. I prefer Martin."

"Geez. This guy can't handle being nicknamed," Josh muttered to Rob, who simply snickered at Josh's remark.

"And who are they, if you don't mind my asking," Martin asked, glancing at Josh.

"This are just some guys I met back home," Aaron said.

"You'd think he knew us better," Rob said.

"I'm Josh. The guy Aaron just offended is Rob, the one behind him is Thorn, and Lori's the only girl in our group."

"I'm Martin, or Marty as Aaron prefers to call me."

"Martin just sounds so boring and uninteresting, but Marty just happens to be the name of the main character in the Back to the Future trilogy."

"No way. You watch those movies, too?"

"I do. I have to say that Part II is the best out of all three, although the original simply can't be beat," Aaron said.

"I liked the original, too, man. This is just crazy," Rob said.

"Just to answer your question, Aaron, Gabriella's upstairs."

"Thanks, Marty."

"It's Martin. Get it right!"

"Gabriella," Josh asked.

"Just Aaron's girlfriend. I honestly don't know what they see in each other."

"It sounds like you don't like her."

"I don't. Her dad was a rival to my dad. I just think that she's just like her father," Lily said.

"Maybe she's not," Josh said.

"What are you talking about, Josh?"

"I'm saying that while she may look like her father, Gabriella may not be the same thing. She may be like her mother personality-wise. Take Martin for example. He looks like his mother, but he acts like his father must have in the past. Just because someone inherits their appearance from one parent doesn't mean that they inherit the personality of that same parent. Sometimes, that might be the case and sometimes they might be inversed and one child looks like their father but acts like their mother and the other might look like their mother and act like their father. That's what I mean."

"That's something to think about. I never thought of it like that," Lily said.

"That's Josh for you. One conversation with him and you'll be seeing things in a brand new light."

"Thanks, Rob. It's good to hear some feedback about my thoughtfulness," Josh said.

"Anytime, Josh," Rob said.

"One question, though. How did you know where Martin got his appearance," Lily asked.

"He must have seen the family picture hanging right there." Lily followed Rob's finger and saw a picture of a younger Gabriella and Martin with their parents.

* * *

"I know this sounds crazy, Ella, but it's not once you get to know this guys," Aaron said as he talked to a female teenager with brown hair and black eyes who was currently getting out of the shower.

"I don't know, Aaron. It doesn't seem right to travel around with some strangers that you don't even know," Gabriella said as she wrapped herself up in a towel.

"I know, but I got the chance to really know these guys on the way here. I trust them like I know you will later on, Ella."

"I'm still not sure and I'm coming out now, just to warn you."

"All right," Aaron said before turning around to face the wall.

"Did you turn around," Gabriella asked.

"I did. I still can't believe you don't trust your boyfriend to see you exposed in your own room." Gabriella then walked out of the bathroom, her wet hair dripping as she made her way across the room.

"You wouldn't understand, Aaron."

"Guess not. It must be a girl thing," Aaron said as Gabriella walked over to her closet.

"It is," Gabriella said as she looked at her wardrobe.

"Rob may not be trustworthy, but Josh and Lori definitely are."

"What makes Rob untrustworthy?"

"Just on his own world, he's someone you wouldn't want to leave your valuables with," Aaron said as Gabriella dressed herself.

"So, he's a thief," Gabriella asked.

"Professionally. It's actually passed down throughout his entire family. It all started with his prehistoric ancestor, Caveman Cooper, and continued right down to him. No doubt it'll be passed down to his son or daughter."

"Sounds interesting."

"And the good thing his family only stole from other thieves," Aaron said, still staring at the wall in front of him.

"Why would they do that," Gabriella said as she dried her hair.

"I don't know. I guess it's because ordinary people just aren't that fun to rob. Huh. Rob Cooper. I wonder if that's where he got his name from."

"Well, definitely sounds like some good people to travel with."

"Which is why I want you to come with us," Aaron said.

"What about Martin," Gabriella asked.

"Your choice. Leave him here or bring him with us. Doesn't matter to me."

"All right. I'll leave him to guard the place whenever anyone bad happens to come around."

"That's definitely a good decision, Ella," Aaron said.

"You were hoping I'd leave him behind, didn't you," Gabriella asked.

"Maybe a little." Moments later, Gabriella was standing outside her home and saying her goodbyes to Martin.

"You'll be sure to watch the place?"

"Of course. I'm not irresponsible like Aaron," Martin said.

"I heard that, Marty," Aaron said from two miles away.

"I'll be okay. Don't worry. Just go risk your life to save Mom and Dad."

"Okay. So long, Martin," Gabriella said before walking away from her brother.

"Just leave me here to watch the house. You don't ask me to come along," Martin said before walking into the house.

"Okay. I'm here, so let's go to wherever we're going to."

"Versailles, France. It's off-world, I know, but Rob's got a safe house there. We'll be fine." Everyone then formed a circle before Thorn summoned all his power to teleport everyone back to France.


	9. Chapter 9

"Make yourselves at home and mind the mess. I've been so busy and haven't gotten the chance to clean this place up," Rob said as he led everyone into his safe house/tech warehouse.

"So this is where you store everything you create," Gabriella asked as she looked around the place.

"Yeah. Everything I create is put into storage here so I could use it later for a heist."

"Interesting," Lily said as she examined the couch in the room.

"Nice TV," Josh said as he and Aaron stood in front of the plasma screen TV in the room.

"Yeah, that's a real beauty," Aaron said.

"You could use it if you want," Rob said.

"Really," Josh and Aaron asked in unison.

"Yeah. It'll take a while for me to activate my dimensional transporter, so take a load off and watch some telly as they say in England." Rob then left the room, leaving everyone else to themselves.

"Cool!"

"I'm first on the couch!" Josh and Aaron then took their places on the couch before looking for the remote.

"Great. Where is that stupid thing," Aaron asked.

"Here it is," Josh said as he held it in his hand.

"Where was it?"

"On the counter over there."

"Well, how'd you get it from all the way over there," Aaron asked.

"Best not to ask, Aaron," Josh said before turning on the TV.

"This is the life."

"Amen, brother."

"Why do guys always watch so much TV? It's bad for their brains."

"I don't know. I think it's best not to ask," Lori said.

"You're probably right, Lori."

"What first, Aaron," Josh asked.

"I think there might be a good movie on right about now," Aaron said.

"You may be right. I'll check the programming guide." Inside the room, Rob dusted off his dimensional transporter, coughing as the dust lingered in the room.

"Great. It's free of dust, so I just need to reconnect it," Rob said.

"Would you like some help with that," Thorn asked as he entered the room.

"Actually, yeah. Could you go and check that the fuse for this room is connected? It should be the one on the far right."

"Of course." Thorn then left the room to do as Rob had instructed.

"I'll need my laptop. Damn, it was left in Paris," Rob muttered as he worked on his transporter.

"Far right," Thorn said as he checked the fuse box. He stopped when he saw a fuse lying by his right foot. He picked it up before placing it back in its proper place. Rob watched as the lights in the room came on.

"Nice job, Thorn."

"What can I do now, Rob?"

"Ask Josh if he has a laptop he could spare," Rob said.

"I'll get right on that," Thorn said before leaving.

"Man, this is one interesting movie."

"You're right about that," Josh said before Thorn walked up to him.

"Josh, do you think Rob can borrow your laptop if you have one?"

"Yeah, it's in my pack." Thorn then walked over to Josh's backpack before searching for his laptop.

"Perfect," Thorn said as he pulled Josh's laptop out of the pack. He then walked back into the room before giving Josh's laptop to Rob.

"Awesome." Rob then took the laptop before docking into the port attached with the dimensional transporter.

"Okay. The dimensional transporter's online. Thorn, get everyone so we can send Josh back to get his friends and reinforcements," Rob said. Moments later, everyone was assembled in the transporter room as Rob prepared the machine for sending Josh back to Mobius.

"Are you sure about this," Aaron asked.

"Yeah. My friends can fight, so we'll need them if we go to war with whoever's doing this," Josh said.

"All right. The transporter's online and ready to bring whoever you have in mind here."

"Be careful," Lily said.

"I'm always careful." Josh was then broken down into particles before being sent to Mobius.

* * *

"I need everyone I can get ready to fight just in case this escalates to much higher levels," Josh said as he stood in front of all his friends. "I need speed, strength, power, and everything else you can bring to the fight."

"We're all with you, Josh," Manik said.

"I'm not. I'm staying right here where I'm safe," Sean said.

"If that's the way you want it, Sean, then just stay here. Just don't come running to me when you and the whole of Mobius disappear without a single trace," Josh said.

"I withdraw my objection."

"That's what I figured. If any of you ever want to see your parents again, you'll follow me to Versailles, France, and join us everyone else in the fight to save every world out there right now."

"Like I said before, we'll follow you into battle if it means finding and rescuing our parents."

"I know that you will, Manik, but I need the answers from everyone else. All those want to fight, stand up," Josh said before almost everyone in the room got up to their feet.

"Come on, Lise. Don't our failed relationship keep you from fighting along with us."

"I'm not fighting with you. You're the one who dumped me," Lisa said.

"All right. Stay here if you don't want to come with me. Everyone else, follow me," Josh said before stepping onto the pad and disappearing with everyone else following him.

"What are you doing, Sean?"

"Following Josh. He may be a pain, but he's a great leader," Sean said.

"You can't just follow him. He dumped me," Lisa said.

"Maybe he had a good reason to do that." Sean then walked up to the pad before being broken back into particles and following everyone else.

* * *

"What's the next move, Rob?"

"I think the next move should be to rescue every one of my ancestors so we'll stand a better chance of a fight," Rob said.

"Sounds fair. Lara, Manik, Sonia, and Sean, we're going on a trip through time, so we can rescue Rob's ancestors if that's all right with you guys," Josh said.

"Sounds cool to me. Where's our first stop?"

"The Stone Age and the resident Cooper there is Caveman Cooper, the first of many in the Cooper Clan. Be sure to stay warm." Sean, Lara, Manik, and Sonia followed Josh as he led them to the pad. Rob punched in the coordinates for the Stone Age moments before Josh and everyone else disappeared and went back to the very beginning of time.


	10. Chapter 10

Josh, Lara, Manik, Sonia, and Sean landed on the soft snow that had cushioned their fall from being rougher than expected.

"Well, we made it," Josh said as he got to his feet.

"That's good news," Sean said as he and everyone else recovered from their teleportation.

"All right. Now that we landed in the right time period, we just need to find Caveman Cooper. The problem is we don't know what he looks like," Lara said.

"That's easy. Just look for a giant raccoon with a cane that looks ancient," Rob said.

"How'd you get into our morphers?"

"I didn't."

"What are you doing here? I thought you were back at the safe house," Josh said.

"I was, but I figured you would need a Cooper to help with the effort," Rob said.

"I don't know, Rob. We may be able to convince your ancestor to come with us easily," Sonia said.

"But what happens if we can't convince him? We'll need Rob to talk to the guy because he might not listen to us."

"You have to admit that's a good point Josh's making. Caveman Cooper might not be easy to persuade without a member from his own family."

"Precisely my point, Lara," Josh said.

"I see the point you're making, Josh. We may need Rob if our diplomatic efforts fail."

"Well, looks like you're in the group, Rob," Josh said.

"Awesome. So what's our next move, Josh?"

"Seems like we may have to split up to cover more ground. The question is who goes with who?"

"What do you mean, Josh?"

"Just look at us, Sean. There's four guys and two girls, so gender-equal teams are completely out of the question. We'll have to do two teams of males and one team of females," Josh said.

"He's actually right, Sean," Manik said.

"I know he's right, Manik," Sean said.

"Ease up, Sean. I'm only telling you what I think."

"Calm down, Sean. I think it's easy to see that Sean comes with me, Rob goes with Manik, and Lara goes with Sonia."

"That definitely sounds fair, Josh," Manik said.

"All right. Lead the way, Josh."

"I'm thinking we should check by those caves," Josh said.

"Those caves over there," Sean asked.

"Yeah. If there's anywhere a caveman might be resting, it's in a cave. Makes perfect sense in my book."

"That's actually pretty good thinking." Everyone then went their separate way, unaware that they were being observed from afar by a wolf hiding behind a snow bluff.

"You were right, sir. That hedgehog and his friends are going to rescue the Cooper Clan. I'll make sure they don't. Tell Le Paradox he'll have his shipment soon enough," the wolf said before following Josh and Sean.

"It does make perfect sense, Josh. A caveman tends to rest inside a cave. It's a part of the name after all," Sean said as he and Josh walked to the caves Josh had indicated earlier.

"Yeah, I'm pretty much known for making logical decisions. It's pretty much a part of me and who I am," Josh said.

"Would one of those logical decisions just happen to be breaking up with my younger sister?"

"Actually, I was meaning to break up with her ever since we started dating. I just didn't have the right reason until I met Sonia for the first time since middle school. It was during the time we both used to catch up that I started missing dates with Lisa. She was furious after I missed our tenth date that she pulled me out of class by the ear. At that time, I had the right reason to server all ties with her and end our relationship right then and there."

"That's actually a good reason to end your relationship with someone," Sean said.

"Yeah, but she became mad with me after that breakup, so I had to even up the playing field by spreading a rumor that she was interested in both genders," Josh said.

"You were the one who started that rumor?"

"I was and I couldn't have been prouder of the results." Josh was so busy laughing that he didn't see Sean's fist until the last possible minute. Moments later, Josh found himself in a darkened cave with Sean at the entrance trying to get out.

"Why'd you punch my lights out, mate," Josh asked.

"Because you ruined Lisa's life with that rumor of yours. She was forced off the cheer squad because of the other cheerleaders being nervous around her. It's because of that rumor you spread that Lisa's life went south," Sean said.

"I get that, but you could have pushed off a nearby cliff. You could have backed me into a tar pit. You could have buried me in snow, but you punch my lights out instead of some prehistoric torture. Why?"

"Because I wanted you to feel what Lisa felt when that rumor of yours started going around the school."

"Ah, now I get it. You couldn't do anything to me that involved something from this time because you wanted me to feel what Lisa felt once the rumor spread its wings and flew," Josh said.

"That's right," Sean said.

"Another question; what happened that we're both in a cave?"

"Because I saw you lying on that snow patch and felt like I shouldn't leave you there. After I had gotten you inside, the cave entrance just blew up. I had no idea why or who did it."

"You're taking too long. Let me get both out of here," Josh said before walking over to the cave entrance.

"What makes you think you can get these rocks out of the way," Sean asked.

"Because you only have telekinesis from your dad. I got a whole lot more from mine. Cover your ears." Sean did as Josh commanded before he unleashed a massive blast of sound that was able to blast the rocks apart.

"Takes a lot out of me to do that. The voice should only last for a few minutes," Josh said hoarsely.

"That was amazing."

"Thanks."

"Josh," Sonia said as she and everyone else ran up to the cave entrance.

"What happened?"

"Cave-in, obviously caused by this demolition charge," Josh said as he picked something up from the ground.

"What's with your voice, Josh," Rob asked.

"It only happens when I unleashed a massive blast of sound like I did with the rocks."

"But why does your voice get affected?"

"Because it discharges from my vocal cords and it pretty much hurts afterward," Josh said.

"That's still not answering my question," Rob said.

"Shut up, Rob. Where's Caveman Cooper?"

"We were too late. He got snatched by some of those bounty hunters from earlier," Lara said.

"And here I thought we were done with those guys," Josh said.

"Apparently not. They must have been sent by their client to capture every single Cooper that ever lived."

"Looks like we'll have to be quicker if we want to save Rob's next ancestor. Who would it be by the way?"

"Slytunkhamen II, which means we're heading to Ancient Egypt, home of Cleopatra, King Tut, and the Sphinx."


	11. Chapter 11

"Well, we're here and the beacon's behind the pyramid on the right according to Argyle's text," Josh said as he and everyone else hid in a nearby alley. After they had gotten back to Rob's safe house after a failed attempt to save Caveman Cooper, Argyle programmed the transporter to send them back to Ancient Egypt in order to save the next Cooper in line; Slytunkhamen Cooper II.

"All right. What's the plan, Josh," Rob asked.

"I'm thinking that you and Sean could go asking around with the locals, Lara and Sonia could search the city, while Manik and I search inside the pyramids. First team to find Slytunkhamen reports to the others with their results."

"Good plan, Josh," Manik said.

"Definitely a good plan," Lara added.

"Great, then spread out," Josh said before everyone went their separate ways in order to find Slytunkhamen Cooper II.

* * *

"Are you sure this was a good idea?"

"Of course. I wouldn't have suggested it if it wasn't in the first place."

"Point made," Manik said as he and Josh continued to trek through the desert sands towards the pyramids. After hours of walking through the desert, Josh and Manik found themselves on the verge of collapse.

"I can't go on any longer, Josh," Manik said, close to falling down to the sand.

"Neither can I. Just keep holding on, Manik. Just keep holding on," Josh said before collapsing. Moments later, Josh found himself in a darkened room lit only with a few candles.

"Dad, is that you?"

"Just relax. You've been out there in that desert for a while," a shadow next to Josh said.

"I had a crazy dream. I went back in time and I had to bring together a team of heroes," Josh said.

"Well, you're okay now. Back in Ancient Egypt."

"Ancient Egypt?!" Josh stood up to see Slytunkhamen sitting right next to him.

"Are you okay, Josh," Slytunkhamen asked.

"How'd you know my name," Josh asked.

"Your friends were smart to bring you and that other hedgehog here. They're waiting in the other room so you can take me back to the future."

"They told you about our mission?"

"They did and I told them they were right. I felt like I was being followed by the wrong kind of people," Slytunkhamen said.

"So you'll be coming with us," Josh asked.

"I will. That other character convinced me to come with all of you."

"You mean Rob?"

"Ah, yes. He did say his name was Rob," Slytunkhamen said.

"I was right. A Cooper was needed," Josh said.

"Just relax. You'll be back in your own time soon enough."

"I better relax until I'm back in Rob's timeline." Josh then lied down to get some rest before he and everyone else returned to their point of origin.

* * *

"He'll need some rest while he's recovering from the sun's rays because of his walk through the desert," Slytunkhamen said after placing Josh on the couch in the other room.

"I'll look after him and make sure he's okay," Sonia said.

"Of course. I'll be heading off with Rob so we could save the next ancestor in the Cooper Clan."

"Be safe, Slytunkhamen."

"I will," Slytunkhamen said before stepping into the transporter.

"Is Sonia staying to look after Josh?"

"She is. I believe Josh will be in very capable hands with her."

"All right. Where's the next stop of our adventure through time?"

"The Dark Ages, home to my medieval ancestor, Sir Galleth Cooper. Argyle, if you would be so kind," Rob said.

"Give me a minute to punch in the right year," Argyle said as he typed in the coordinates of the Dark Ages. "There. Just step on the main platform and you'll be sent to the origin of jousting, knights, and pestilence."

"Awesome. Thanks, Argyle."

"No thanks are necessary. Just save the Cooper Clan while you have the chance," Argyle said as everyone stepped onto the platform.

"We will," Rob said before he, Slytunkhamen, Manik, Sean, and Lara were transported to the Dark Ages.

* * *

"If I was a medieval thief, where in a castle would I be hiding," Lara asked herself as she walked through the halls of the castle she was currently in. Once they had gotten to their destination, they split up with Slytunkhamen going north, Sean going south, Manik heading east, Rob heading west, and Lara looking inside the castle. Because she was too lost in thought, she didn't see the komodo dragon coming up behind her until it was too late.

"Just relax, sweetheart. It'll be over soon enough. You're only leverage I'm using to get closer to my boss' goals," the komodo said as he dragged Lara's unconscious body away.

* * *

"All right. We've got Galleth, so let's get back."

"Indeed. I thank you for saving me from those heathens. Only a true Cooper would do that," Galleth said as Rob led him and everyone else to the beacon that would bring them back to Rob's safe house.

"No thanks are necessary, Galleth. As long you're safe, that's all I care about," Rob said.

"That's too bad." Rob and Galleth looked up to see Lara being restrained by her captor.

"Rob, get out of here!"

"Quiet. Hand over that Cooper or she'll be the one taken away instead," the komodo said.

"No. I already lost one ancestor. I'm not about to lose another."

"Fine. I'll see you later anyway." The komodo then walked away from Rob with Lara still in his grasp.

"You made a noble sacrifice, Rob. I'm sure the others will think you made the right choice."

"It's not them I'm worried about," Rob said before he and Galleth resumed their walk towards the beacon.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking, sacrificing my girlfriend like that, Cooper?!" After they had gotten back, Rob had told everyone the hard choice had to make to save Galleth. Manik, Sean, Slytunkhamen, Josh, and Sonia thought that he had made the right choice. Argyle, however, wasn't of the same mind.

"I had to, Argyle. He wanted Galleth for Lara and I wasn't about to lose another ancestor."

"Well, now you can save the others without me. You're on your own," Argyle said before storming out of the room.

"That went just as I expected," Rob said.

"Don't worry, Rob. He's just pissed because you gave Lara to save Galleth. He couldn't see that the score's one lost ancestor and two saved," Sean said.

"Thanks, Sean. That means a lot." Outside, Argyle was fuming about Lara and how Rob sold her out to save his ancestor. He then looked at the necklace around his neck with his lover's name engraved on it.

"I hope you're safe wherever you are, Lara, for Rob's sake."


	12. Chapter 12

"I can't even believe we didn't get a chance to save Salim," Rob said as he and everyone else got back from another failure to save a Cooper. This time, it was Salim al Kupar, Rob's ancestor from Ancient Arabia, that was captured.

"To be fair, we skipped over him to save Galleth," Sean said.

"I feel as though it was my fault Salim was lost," Galleth said.

"Don't talk like that. It wasn't your fault."

"Actually, if you think about it, it was his fault," Josh said.

"One second, Galleth. I thought you were supposed to be helpful," Rob said.

"I am. I'm just pointing out the order was Caveman Cooper, Slytunkhamen, Salim, then Galleth. We basically skipped over a Cooper to get to the next in line."

"He's actually right, you know," Manik said.

"I know he's right. We should have saved Salim first, then Galleth."

"Because of that little mix-up, we're now half-and-half. Two ancestors lost, two ancestors rescued," Josh said.

"Now that's settled, who's our next target, Rob?"

"Slaigh MacCooper, the strongest out of all of us. We're heading to Celtic Scotland, laddies," Rob said.

"I'll make sure to pack my bagpipes and my kilt."

"That's a good one, Josh," Manik said.

"Thanks, Manik," Josh said.

"There's a time and place for that kind of thing, but it's neither here nor now. Every second we waste is another second that Slaigh's life is in danger."

"Sorry about that, Rob. I just heard Scotland and came up with that. My fault."

"Good. Get the transporter set to Celtic Scotland," Rob said.

"At once, Captain," Josh said before going over to the computer console and typing in the coordinates for Celtic Scotland.

"How will we know who Slaigh is when we see him?"

"Just think of a raccoon about the same size of Caveman Cooper except with a stone cane, not a wooden one. That's Slaigh MacCooper."

"Gotcha," Manik said.

"Done. Let's set sail." Josh then ran over to Rob, Manik, Slytunkhamen, and Galleth before they were sent back to Celtic Scotland.

"Okay. Now that they're gone, I can go on my own rescue mission," Sonia said before setting the transporter to send her to the future.

"What are you doing, Sonia," Sean asked.

"Going to the future. Now that Rob's been saved, that has to be a son or daughter of his that carries on the legacy of the Cooper Clan.

"That's logical thinking. I guess Josh's rubbed off on you."

"I suppose so. I'll be back. If Josh and the others come back before me, tell them I went to save a Cooper on my own," Sonia said as she stood on the transporter's platform.

"I will," Sean said.

"Thanks, Sean."

* * *

"This is amazing," Sonia said as she took a look around futuristic Versailles. She was approached by a robot handing out wanted posters with a picture of a female raccoon.

"Help locate Rebecca Cooper and you will be greatly awarded," the robot said before walking away.

"I was right. Rebecca Cooper must be Rob's daughter. The question is who did Rob marry?" Sonia then walked around trying to find a library within the city. Once she had gotten there, she looked around for a book with information about the Cooper Clan. After a failed attempt to find said book, she walked up to the information desk in the hopes of being pointed in the right direction.

"Excuse me, but do you know where I might find a record of the Cooper Clan," Sonia asked.

"Why would you be looking for a book like that," the librarian asked.

"I just need to know if you have a book on the Cooper Clan."

"Just a moment. I just need to check the records." Sonia then watched the librarian walk into the back room.

"I'll just have to wait then," Sonia said. Unknown to her, the librarian was dialing the number for the local police.

"Hello. I have someone asking for a book with information about the Cooper Clan. Please help," the librarian said.

"Excuse me? I'm just wondering if you found that book yet." At that moment, four police officers barged into the room before pointing their laser blasters at Sonia.

"What's going on," Sonia asked.

"We got a call that someone was asking for a book containing forbidden information," one of the officers said.

"I don't get why asking for a book with information about the Cooper Clan would be a crime."

"It is, considering the Cooper Clan's nothing but a bunch of thieves." Out of nowhere, a circular grenade rolled in front of the officers before unleashing a thick screen of smoke.

"Run," Rebecca said as she pulled Sonia out of the smoke screen.

"You're Rebecca. The one the police are after," Sonia said.

"There'll be a time for introductions later. Right now, we need to get away from those guys."

"After them," one of the other officers said as they got into their cruisers.

"Great. They're in their cruisers. They'll catch up to us in no time," Rebecca said.

"Don't you have a hover board or something? This is the future after all."

"Yeah, right. They ask 12,000 euros for a hover board. I'm not about to spend the money I work hard to get."

"I guess that makes sense in a Cooper's point of view," Sonia said.

"It does," Rebecca said.

"Well, if we have to keep running, we have to run to that blue light over there."

"You mean the light shining in the sky?"

"That's the one. It'll take us a while to get there, but it'll be worth the running," Sonia said.

"How will it be worth the running," Rebecca asked.

"You'll find out soon enough."

* * *

"That was a bust. I can't believe Slaigh was taken from us in plain sight," Rob said as he and everyone else returned from another failed mission.

"They must have been hidden. That's why we couldn't see them," Josh said.

"That makes sense. They couldn't take Slaight while we were surrounding him. They had to be cloaked in order to capture him without us noticing," Manik said.

"Precisely."

"Now the score's 2-3, meaning that we were able to save Galleth and Slytunkhamen but unable to save Caveman Cooper, Salim, or Slaigh. Now we move to Feudal Japan to see if we can't even the score."

"I guess that means I can pack my samurai armor and shuriken," Josh said.

"Josh," Rob said.

"Sorry. I just can't stop myself from doing that."

"He really can't. It's like his mind's on permanent wisecracker setting."

"See? Manik understand that I can't stop," Josh said.

"Wait. Where's Sonia?" Josh and Manik looked around and saw that Sonia wasn't anywhere in the room.

"I'll check the console to see if anyone's used it recently."

"Good thinking, Josh," Rob said as Josh walked over to the transporter console.

"Looks like someone used the transporter to send themselves to the years 2078," Josh said.

"That's pretty far ahead. Why would Sonia go to the future," Manik asked.

"Maybe she thought she would find a Cooper there. Possibly a descendant of yours, Rob."

"No way that's possible, Josh. I told you that my feelings for Lori faded in obscurity on the night we met each other on opposite sides of the law."

"Okay, but what if they get reignited like a dying flame? What if you two discover those feelings you had after some time with each other," Josh asked.

"Damn. You've talked me into a corner, Josh. Damn you and your entire legacy," Rob said.

"He does that to a lot of people. You're not the first to curse his legacy, Rob."

"I'm sure I'm not. We have to call Sonia back."

"That won't be necessary, Rob."

"Why not," Rob asked.

"Because she's already back," Josh said before Sonia and Rebecca reappeared on the transporter platform.

"I still couldn't believe we got away from those Interpol goons."

"I know. I was scared we'd be arrested and tried," Sonia said.

"Sonia, what were you thinking, going into the future? I'm your brother and I say that was too dangerous," Manik said.

"Settle down. You are my brother, but you're my younger brother. You don't have any control over me, but I do have control over you."

"Okay. I'll just stand in that corner."

"You do that," Sonia said.

"Who was he," Rebecca asked.

"Younger brother. Don't mind him. That's Rob and that's my boyfriend."

"You're kidding. He looks 14."

"Excuse me! I'm 15, whoever you are. It says so on my drivers' license."

"Josh," Sonia said.

"Sorry, but she said I looked 14. I had a right to assert myself," Josh said.

"I'm sorry, but who are you? I haven't seen you around here before."

"Not now, but you will," Rebecca said.

"What's that supposed to mean," Rob asked.

"Rebecca, this is Rob. Rob, this is your daughter."

"My daughter?!"

"Hey, Dad."

"And you thought there weren't any descendants of yours."


	13. Chapter 13

"This is my daughter," Rob asked.

"She is. My guess is that you and Lori are married in the future and you have a daughter and son. It's only your daughter that follows in your footprints while your son sits at home playing Skylanders: Swap Force and reading the many works of Jules Verne," Sonia said.

"That sounds like the same thing Josh would say," Manik said.

"It actually does. Except it would be Skylanders: Giants instead of Swap Force and it would be the entire Inheritance Cycle, not every Jules Verne novel. There would be too many words in a Verne-a-thon," Josh said.

"That's true, but the point still stands. It seems that you and Sonia are quickly becoming the same mind."

"It does seem that way."

"Indeed. Well, we've wasted enough time sitting here and meeting Rob's future daughter. I say we continue on with the mission of saving the Cooper Clan."

"I agree. It's off to Feudal Japan now to save Rioichi Cooper. I'll set the console," Josh said.

"Will you be coming with us, Rebecca," Sonia asked.

"I don't have a reason not to. I've never seen Feudal Japan or my ancestor. Of course I'm coming," Rebecca said.

"That's great, Beck. Okay. Got the transporter set to the year 1600 AD."

"Why did you just call me Beck?"

"Just came to me. Beck just happens to be short for Rebecca. Sorry if I offended you," Josh said.

"No, it's okay. Beck sounds good. Better than Becky," Rebecca said.

"Great. I thought I was in trouble there."

"No, you're okay. You're lucky I like being called Beck."

"That's the kind of Mobian I am," Josh said.

"If you two are done making out, we got a Cooper to save," Manik said as he, Sonia, and Rob stood on the platform.

"Let me just set the timer." Josh then walked over to the console before setting a delay on the transportation process. "There. We got a good 10 seconds, Beck," Josh said before standing on the platform.

"Back to Feudal Japan," Rebecca said as she stood next to Josh on the transporter platform. Seconds later, they were sent back to the time of samurai and ninjas. (I'm sure I already said this before, but read on anyway.)

* * *

"Looks like we're in the right place. Time we split up so we stand a better chance of finding Rioichi before he gets captured like Caveman Cooper, Salim al Kupar, and Slaigh MacCooper. Everyone understand the plan?" Josh's question was met with nods from everyone in the group.

"Great. Now move out," Josh said before laser fire began to scorch the ground around him and everyone else.

"Get down!"

"Stop right there, Cooper," a voice shouted as Rioichi leapt over rooftops, avoiding the lasers being shot at him.

"Dad, look at they're firing at," Rebecca said.

"Sorry, Rebecca, but I'm a little busy avoiding the deadly laser fire to look up," Rob said.

"But it's Rioichi!"

"She's right, Rob. It's Rioichi up there trying to avoid those lasers." Rob looked up to see that Rioichi was jumping around, trying to avoid the laser fire just like he was.

"Rioichi! Rioichi Cooper! Over here," Rob shouted as he waved his arms. Rioichi stopped long enough to see Rob's waving and hear his shouting before jumping down to him.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Rob Cooper, a descendant of yours from the future. I'm the next link in the Cooper Clan chain along with Rebecca here," Rob said, introducing himself and his daughter.

"You two do bear the resemblance of a Cooper, but who are they," Rioichi asked, looking at Josh, Manik, and Sonia.

"Just friends of ours. Listen, you need to come with us so you won't be captured by the guys firing those lasers at you."

"I agree. Lead the way."

"This way," Rob said before he and everyone else ran from the laser fire.

"Get back here, Cooper!"

"Go! Go!"

"Thank you, Rob Cooper," Rioichi said as he stood by the beacon.

"No thanks are necessary. Just doing what's needed to be done to save my legacy," Rob said before letting Rioichi go ahead of him.

"All right. Everyone's safe! Let's go," Josh said as he launched fireballs at his pursuers. Once Manik and Sonia had gone back, Josh and Rob were the next to go into the beacon.

* * *

"Okay. On the bad guys' side, we have Caveman Cooper, Salim al Kupar, Slaigh MacCooper, and Sly Cooper. On our side, we have Slytunkhamen Cooper II, Sir Galleth Cooper, Rioichi Cooper, Rob Cooper, and Rebecca Cooper. It's five to four with the home team having the advantage over the away team."

"According to Josh's sports casting, we have a slight lead over whoever's taken the rest of the Cooper Clan up to this point," Manik said.

"We may have the advantage, but we've got five more ancestors to go before we can claim victory."

"Now you made my sports casting useless, you killjoy," Josh said.

"I'm just saying that we still need to save Henriette 'One Eye' Cooper, 'Tennessee Kid' Cooper, Thaddeus Winslow Cooper III, Otto van Cooper, and my grandfather," Rob said.

"One out of five of those missions may be a small problem."

"Which one?"

"Your grandfather. His death is a fixed point in history. If watching Doctor Who's taught me anything, it's that you can't change something that was meant to happen. Otherwise, you might change more than you wanted to and that could lead to an alternate timeline, just like Back to the Future Part II," Josh said.

"You're right, Josh. If I go back and save my grandfather from being slain by the Fiendish Five, I may change my own life and even cause myself to never be born," Rob said.

"That's exactly right, Rob. Now it's five to five. We need to break this tie by saving the rest of Rob's ancestors."

"Okay. One Eye Cooper lived in the year 1616, the age of pirates. Tennessee lived in the Old West, Thaddeus lived in Victorian London, and Otto was around at the time of World War II. The way I see it, the four of us will have to split up and take each Cooper in the hopes that they'll listen to us and follow back here."

"I'm afraid Josh won't be able to fulfill his mission. Sonia will have to take his place instead," Thorn said.

"Why can't I do go with them? I'm not doing anything right now," Josh said before he saw Thorn holding out a scroll in his hand.

"You are now. Take the scroll and find the persons detailed in it. I've already set the transporter for your first destination. Good luck, Josh."

"I was wondering when I'd get some more of those riddles of yours." Josh then took the scroll before standing on the transporter and being sent to his first stop.


	14. Chapter 14

Josh groaned as he came back around after suffering a brutal landing. He looked around for the scroll before seeing it in a patch of grass before him. He reached for it and saw that his hand was transformed into a claw.

"What in the world," Josh asked as he looked his at his claw. He then checked himself over and saw that he was now a dragon with brown scales matching the earth underneath his talons and blue eyes.

"Okay. I'm a dragon, which means my target must be a dragon, too. Great. Now to see what that scroll of Thorn's says." Josh then grabbed the scroll before unfurling it and reading the contents; 'Josh, now that you've accepted the gravity of your situation, you must now find the Unique Ice Dragon, the Trio of Aliens Related by Blood, the Sons of the Dragon Conqueror, the Fighter with the Internal and External Flame, and the Descendants of Samurai. Good luck on your quest, Great One.'

"Fantastic. At least, I know I have to look for an ice dragon who's set apart from all others of his kind," Josh said before flying away, the scroll safely secured around his tail. He flew around before finding a village of cheetahs which may prove useful in his quest. Josh landed five feet away from the village before walking through the gates. He walked around before finding a cheetah that looked to be the village chief.

"Excuse me, but do you know where I may find a dragon around here?"

"I'm certain Warfang would be the best place to look for who you're looking for. I'll kindly show you the way to the entrance," the chief said.

"Then lead the way," Josh said before allowing the chief to guide him to the hidden passageway leading to Warfang.

"Through the tunnel is the fabled dragon city. Good luck on your travels, young dragon."

"Thank you." Josh then entered the tunnel that led to Warfang before traversing its terrain. Once he had endured hours of walking through a seemingly endless tunnel, Josh's efforts paid off the moment he entered the sanctuary of Warfang. He then looked around the city for the dragon mentioned in Thorn's scroll. Before he could walk deeper into the city, a band of cheetahs came out of nowhere and started to round all the dragons in the area, including Josh. A cheetah with an eye patch covering his left eye and a robe covering his body, presumably the leader of these rogues, stepped up to the group of hostile dragons. He took off the hood before addressing the crowd of dragons assembled before him.

"Listen up. We're looking for a couple of dragons. One belongs on this world while the other's an outsider. If any of you try to hide either of these dragons, we will kill all of you. Is that understood," the cheetah asked. His question was met with all of the dragons (except Josh) nodding out of fear.

"Now, who knows anything about the dragons my friends and I are looking for?"

"Honestly, we don't know who you're looking for," Josh said, trying to hide himself.

"None of you do, eh," the cheetah asked.

"No. I don't care if we're murdered. We won't give up the one who will defeat you."

"All right. If that's your final answer. Kill them." Before any arrows could be fired, all of the cheetahs behind the leader were encased in ice. Once they were incapacitated, a dragon with ice blue scales, purple eyes, a golden underbelly, curved horns, a row of swept-back spikes, wings with a pale blue membrane, and a curved sword-like tail blade landed two feet away from their leader.

"Leave these dragons out of this. It's me you're looking for. Take me and spare these innocents," Frost said as he walked to the cheetah leader.

"You expect me to show mercy to these dragons after you just froze my gang solid? I don't show anyone mercy after they mess with my gang. Say good night, dragon," the leader said before being tackled by Josh.

"Get out of here! Quick," Josh said before being punched off by the cheetah leader. He looked up to see the leader unsheathing a dagger hidden under his robe.

"Time to be killed, you scaly son of a..." The cheetah was cut off mid-sentence after Frost had launched a fireball that threw him a good ten feet away from Josh.

"What are you?"

"Just a dragon who knows a lot more to freeze a couple of rogue cheetahs."

"It's you," Josh said, realizing who Frost was.

"What," Frost asked.

"Nothing. You need to come with me right now if you value your life."

"You expect me to come with a complete stranger to save my life?"

"Pretty much," Josh said.

"Who are you," Frost asked.

"Earthtalon."

"Earthtalon?"

"That's right. I was born with that name. Got a problem with that," Josh asked.

"I might. You're the dragon who was an outsider," Frost said.

"All right. You've caught me red-clawed. I'm not from this world, but you still need to trust me if you value your existence."

"How do I know you're not working with those rogues?"

"You don't, but you have to trust me," Josh said.

"I'm having a hard time trusting you after you sentenced those innocents to death," Frost said.

"I had to. Those rogues couldn't get the chance to find me. I'm much more valuable than you."

"How can you be so sure about that?"

"Because my parents are royalty back on my home world," Josh said.

"Well, my parents are the ones who saved these world from being destroyed by an evil you couldn't begin to comprehend," Frost said.

"Okay. Let's agree to disagree and say that we're equally important. How's that?"

"Fine with me. Just for the record, I knew you weren't involved with those cheetahs the way you were rounded up with everyone else."

"So you trust me to lead you to your safety," Josh asked.

"Lead the way, Earthtalon," Frost said.

"I will. And the name's Josh, just to let you know."

"No wonder you didn't use your real name. Those rogue cheetahs would have found you in a heartbeat."

"Exactly," Josh said before leading Frost to the beacon hidden on one of the nearby mountains.


	15. Chapter 15

"I'm pretty much a member of an alien race called Mobians," Josh said as he and Frost reappeared in the safe house.

"What are Mobians," Frost asked as he and Josh walked down from the transporter pad.

"Just people that think, speak, walk, and function like people but are actually animals such as hedgehogs, echidnas, bulls, and otters."

"Interesting. I have to meet a few of your Mobian friends."

"Most of them are already here," Josh said before looking around and seeing no one was around and the entire room was covered in dust.

"What's going on," Frost asked.

"I don't know, Frost. They were here when I left to save you. Something must have happened in that timeframe."

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure. Wait. Those rogue cheetahs were a distraction so I couldn't stop something from happening. Of course. The mastermind behind all these events must have gone back to the night Rob's grandfather was slain and captured him so Sly wouldn't be sent to that orphanage and Rob would never be born along with Rebecca. I should have done something. Damn it," Josh said before kicking the defunct dimensional transporter.

"Did that help," Frost asked.

"Yes."

"Did that hurt?"

"Yes," Josh said before sitting down and rubbing his throbbing foot.

"There wasn't anything you could do, Josh," Thorn said as he appeared in the room.

"Thorn."

"Who's this," Frost asked.

"A friend of mine. He's the one who sent me to get you," Josh said.

"You were right. The mastermind behind all this went back to the night that Connor Cooper was slain by the Fiendish Five."

"Connor Cooper? Must be the name of Rob's grandfather and Rebecca's great-grandfather."

"Precisely. Because Rose interfered in events that were meant to happen, she created a timeline where Rob was never born because Sly and Carmelita never met. As a result, the entire Cooper Clan is in her possession.

"Rose? Is that who's behind this," Josh asked.

"Indeed. Rose is the individual who had captured your parents, transported Paris and several other cities to her stronghold, and caused this to become reality."

"And I was determined to give whoever's doing this a thrashing they'll never forget."

"Excuse me, but would one of you mind telling me exactly what is going on?"

"Sorry, Frost. I was commissioned by Thorn to recruit a team of heroes that would fight to stop whoever's behind all this," Josh said.

"But I'm afraid we've been sent back to square one," Thorn said.

"Where do we go from here to build the team of heroes you said I had to assembled?"

"Bellwood. It won't seem like much at first, but it's what's under your feet that's where we looking for."

"I trust you, Thorn. You haven't steered me wrong before," Josh said.

"And Frost? Where do you stand on this issue," Thorn asked.

"I'm not sure, but if my parents are gone and it's because of this Rose you mentioned, then I'm willing to embark on this journey with you two," Frost said.

"Excellent. Then let us be off."

"Now's the part where we have to join hands so we can be brought to wherever Thorn's about to bring us to."

"You know me so well," Thorn said before his left hand clasped with Josh's right hand. Frost, though reluctant at first, clasped his right claw with Josh's left hand and his left claw with Thorn's right hand.

"Brace yourself, Frost. This'll be a bumpy ride," Josh said as Thorn prepared to make the jump. Seconds later, Josh, Thorn, and Frost disappeared in a bright flash of light.

* * *

After they had disappeared from Versailles, Josh, Frost, and Thorn found themselves in a city bustling with activity. The only way this city was different from all others was because it was populated entirely with aliens.

"Aliens in a city. This is extraordinary."

"Welcome to Undertown, home to several hundred aliens all working to make a decent living."

"I've never seen this kind of thing before. This is seriously heavy, Thorn."

"They should be around here somewhere," Thorn said as he walked back and forth.

"Who should," Josh asked.

"I'm sure you would know, Josh."

"Wait. You mean the Trio of Aliens Related by Blood."

"Exactly. They live here and on the surface as well," Thorn said.

"Two different lives for each alien," Josh said.

"Indeed. They're also Plumbers, meaning they fight intergalactic crime wherever and whenever it shows up."

"Well, what can these three aliens do?"

"You'll find in about ten seconds," Thorn said.

"What? What exactly happens in ten seconds," Josh asked before an explosion was heard ten feet away.

"That. Quickly." Thorn then took to the skies followed behind by Josh and Frost.

"What can't you do, Thorn?"

"Stay with me and find out," Thorn said before he, Josh, and Frost touched down at the site of the explosion.

"There's nothing here, so what made that explosion," Frost asked as Thorn looked at the blackened ground.

"I don't understand. They should have been here." Thorn was brought out of his thoughts after being knocked out by an unknown assailant. Before he blacked out, he could make out Frost and Josh kneeling on the ground with their hands behind their heads while two figures had weapons aimed at them. Hours later, Thorn woke to see himself, Josh, and Frost in a prison cell with handcuffs around their wrists.

"Welcome to Intergalakatraz, Thorn. We're here while the rest of the Plumbers try to find out what we are. They also took a blood sample to determine what alien race we're a part of," Josh said. Meanwhile, a teenage Plumber with brown hair, green eyes, and Plumber uniform was waiting for the results of the tests he ran to finish loading.

"That's not possible," he said as he looked at the test results. As he was looking at the results, a female Plumber with black hair and dark brown eyes walked into the room.

"Is something wrong, Mike," she asked.

"Yeah, Katelyn. I just got these results back from those prisoners we took in. Just look at what they're saying." Katelyn then took the results from Mike's hand before looking at them.

"This isn't possible. They can't be here."

"And yet they are. How are they here and why," Mike said.

"I'll talk to Brandon and see if he can release the prisoners," Katelyn said.

"You do that." Katelyn then walked out of the room before locating the cell she was looking for.

"Looks like we're getting our 'Get out of Jail' card sooner than we thought."

"Katelyn, slow down. What's going on," Brandon asked as Katelyn ran up to him.

"Take a look at what Mike got from the blood test he ran on those prisoners." Brandon then took the results before looking at them.

"How can they be here? Their world's gone."

"I don't know how, but they are. Can you let them out," Katelyn asked.

"Of course. Let me just get the key to the cell," Brandon said before looking for the cell key. Minutes later, Josh, Thorn, and Frost were in a room with Katelyn, Brandon, and Mike.

"What do you think they're talking about, Josh," Frost asked as he and Josh watched Mike, Katelyn, and Brandon talk in private.

"I'm not sure, but I'm almost certain it's something that has to do with us," Josh said.

"It's not possible for them to be here. It's not."

"I know, but they're anyway," Mike said.

"Almost done with your little tea party over there?"

"Start talking. How are you here?"

"What are you talking about," Josh asked.

"The test we ran identifies you as a part of the Mobian race. What's going on and how are you here," Mike asked.

"Again, I don't know what you're talking about. Why should my status as a Mobian matter to you?" Mike then looked back at Brandon and Katelyn before turning back to Josh.

"Because your world's gone. It's not there anymore."

"You're lying. Sol can't just be gone," Josh said.

"Check the scanner and tell me I'm lying," Mike said.

"Maybe I will." Josh then walked over to the scanner before looking for Sol. After the right sector was found, he saw that Sol was truly gone.

"This isn't real," Josh said as he stood over the console. The news that his world had disappeared was heartbreaking to Josh.

"What's going on? Why is he torn up over his home being gone?"

"Because you didn't read that far into the results," Brandon said.

"What are you talking about, Brandon," Mike said.

"The results doesn't just list him as a inhabitant of Sol. It also lists him as the prince."

"You mean that's..."

"I do. That's Prince Josh of Sol," Brandon said.


	16. Chapter 16

"So how are you here," Mike asked after Josh had recovered from the shock of his home being no longer in its usual place.

"I was just coming back from a mission and I found the safe house a friend of mine had been abandoned and most of my Mobian friends had disappeared. I came here with Frost and Thorn because I was tasked with the responsibility of building a team of heroes so I could find the stronghold of the one behind all of this," Josh said after he had shared his entire story with Mike, Brandon, and Katelyn.

"Sounds like a firm story. Think we should help out," Brandon asked.

"We should. They obviously came here to add us to this expanding army, so I say let's sign up."

"Awesome, but first, we need a transporter because the one I was using before is currently out of order."

"The Plumbers have something like that in storage. I'm sure they won't mind if they borrow it," Mike said.

"Then get the tech. We'll be here waiting," Josh said.

"We'll be back soon." Mike, Katelyn, and Brandon then left the room before looking around for Plumber storage.

"Are you sure we should be doing this? What if one of the magisters finds out we stole valuable technology? We could get in serious trouble for this."

"Come on, Brandon. You, Katelyn, and I all know the magisters won't mind if we take it. Besides, if it was valuable, they wouldn't have put it in storage in the first place," Mike said as he used his Plumber's badge to open the door.

"He's right, Brandon. The magisters won't mind if we use a piece of technology for our own needs," Katelyn said.

"I want to argue with that, but I can't. It's just too sound logic," Brandon said as he followed Mike and Katelyn inside.

"We're looking for a needle in a haystack, so we need to split up and stand a better chance of finding the piece of technology we're looking for. Once one of us finds it, report back to the others. Understood?"

"I understand, Mike."

"Clear as crystal."

"Good. Then move out," Mike said before he, Katelyn, and Brandon split up to cover more ground.

* * *

"You knew my world would be taken by Rose, didn't you, Thorn?"

"I did. Rose will stop at nothing to make sure every world in the universe is under her control. She must be stopped before her machinations can come to a crescendo, Josh. You know she must fall," Thorn said.

"I do, but it'll take more than two Mobians, three Plumbers, and a dragon to take her down before her goal can be achieved," Josh said.

"I know. That is why I contacted you. Her goal is to take control of every world out there in the universe and mine was to assemble an army to stop her before she can do just that."

"But you handed that down to me. Why?"

"Because your father was a hero in his youth. I'm sure you would know that since you traveled into the past long before all this," Thorn said.

"Is it also because Rose just happens to be related to you," Josh asked.

"How did you know about that?"

"Doesn't take a scientist to put two and two together. You can't fight her because she's family. You pushed the task of putting together an army on me so you wouldn't have to face Rose in combat. I can't trust you now, Thorn."

"You can trust me," Thorn said.

"How do I know you're not a spy Rose sent to report on my progress," Josh asked.

"I'm not. If I was, I would have eliminated you and Frost when you had gotten back from Avalar."

"You could be lulling me into a false sense of security before you give Frost and I a permanent game over."

"Josh, you can't just think I'm like her. I'm not. I'm trying to help you," Thorn said.

"Doesn't matter. Once Mike, Katelyn, and Brandon come back, we're getting out of here. You can use your powers to get around," Josh said.

"Frost, tell Josh that he's being a fool in thinking that I'm working for Rose."

"I can't, Thorn, because I agree with him. You could be pretending to help us before turning us in to Rose. You could be an agent of hers working to bring us down from the inside. Everything Josh said makes complete sense. We don't know if you're on our side or hers. Until we know for sure, you're on your own," Frost said before walking over to the door.

"So long, Thorn." Josh and Frost then left the room before going down to Plumber storage to meet up with Mike, Katelyn, and Brandon.

"You know how to open the door," Josh asked.

"I do, but I don't think it's the right course of action for the moment."

"You were gonna turn into a spiked boulder and knock the door down? You're right. It wouldn't be the right course of action since we're in a high-security establishment."

"I figured you would say something like that," Frost said before the door slid and Mike was pushing an unknown object out.

"What a coincidence. We were about to come looking for you. Where's Thorn?"

"He's not coming with us," Josh said.

"Why not," Mike asked as he pushed the object into the corridor.

"Because he might be working alongside the mastermind behind all this."

"Definitely sounds like a good reason to disown the guy."

"I thought so, too. Should I help out with that," Josh asked.

"What makes you think you can push this when I can't," Mike asked.

"Watch and learn." Mike then backed up to let Josh take the lead and watched as he pushed the object with no difficulty at all.

"How are you doing that?"

"I was born with super strength. You weren't, Mike. That's how I'm doing this," Josh said as he pushed the object down the corridor.

"You have to admit that he's someone who can surprise you even when you think you have him all figured out," Frost said.

"Thanks, Frost. I appreciate the feedback."

"Like that for instance. He was all the way over there and he still heard me."

"That is impressive," Mike said. Moments later, everyone was back in the room that Thorn was left in.

"Must have left. Good."

"So this salvage mission you mentioned? Where was it and what did they pick up," Frost asked as Josh tried to guess whatever was under the tarp.

"I'm not sure what they picked up. As for where they found it, they said some desolate planet named Gallifrey." As soon as he heard the name, Josh stopped in his tracks.

"Gallifrey," Josh asked before turning around to face Mike and Frost. "Did I distinctly hear you say 'Gallifrey'?"

"Yeah. That's where they picked that piece of tech from," Mike said.

"If they picked this up from Gallifrey, then it must be... But that's impossible. There's only one of these in existence," Josh said.

"What's going on? What's under that tarp, Josh?"

"Just something I thought was gone forever."

"And that would be what exactly," Frost asked.

"Hopefully, I'm right," Josh said before yanking off the tarp. Under it was a machine of extraordinary power.


	17. Chapter 17

"What are we dealing with, Brandon," Mike asked as Brandon analyzed the TARDIS before him.

"It's listed as a TARDIS," Brandon said, reading the scanner's results.

"TARDIS? What does that mean?"

"It means Time and Relative Dimension in Space. This is a machine that's able to travel just about anywhere in time and space. It can take you to the very beginning of time and to the future. It's also got its own surprises on the inside," Josh said before opening the doors.

"I don't believe it," Katelyn said as she and everyone else in the room looked at the TARDIS interior.

"It may look like a police box on the outside, but it's a whole other story on the inside."

"This is unprecedented." Before everyone could step inside, a battalion of Plumbers barged in and surrounded them.

"Step away from the TARDIS and this will end well for all of you," one Plumber said.

"On my signal, get inside. Three," Josh whispered to Mike.

"What about you," Mike asked.

"I'll be in. Two." All the Plumbers then aimed their weapons at the group and prepared to fire.

"We surrender. Lower your weapons and we'll go quietly," Josh said.

"What are you doing?"

"Buying time for me to charge up. One!" Josh then unleashed a bright flash of light that momentarily blinded all of the Plumbers in the room. With a snap of his fingers, every one of them was stumbling around the room in slow motion. Among the chaos, Josh managed to enter the TARDIS with everyone else.

"Nice move. What was that," Mike asked.

"A simple heliokinetic/chronokinetic combo assault. I was born with those powers, too," Josh said.

"What powers weren't you born with?"

"The power to read minds or to morph into any animal I choose. That would be pretty much be wasted on me."

"Reading minds or morphing," Brandon asked.

"Morphing. I'm already a hedgehog. I don't need the power to morph into a bull or a leopard. Being one animal is good enough already," Josh said as he and everyone else took their place at the TARDIS console.

"Looks like we'll have to drive, guys," Mike said.

"None of us know how to drive this kind of thing," Katelyn said.

"Then I'll drive. I've watched enough Doctor Who to know how to drive a TARDIS."

"Go for it." Everyone else watched as Josh singlehandedly activated the TARDIS with no assistance whatsoever.

"Okay. Let's look at that scroll Thorn gave me before I saved Frost," Josh said before pulling out the scroll placed in his back pocket.

"What is that?"

"I guess something that will help Josh figure out where to go next," Mike said as Josh skimmed the scroll.

"So far, I've only found the Unique Ice Dragon. I'm not sure I've found the Trio of Aliens Related by Blood or not. Looks like the next ones on the shopping list are the Sons of the Dragon Conqueror, the Fighter with an Internal and External Flame, and the Descendants of Samurai. Why does that last one seem familiar to me," Josh asked before realizing something. "Of course. I should have realized that before."

"Realized what?"

"Hold on to something. This will be the maiden voyage of this newfound TARDIS," Josh said before setting a destination for the TARDIS to land. The others did as Josh had instructed before the engines started whooshing. Outside, the Plumbers watched at the TARDIS disappeared from the room.

"Where do you think they're going," one of the others Plumbers asked.

"I'm not sure. All we can do is wait for them to return."

* * *

Moments after disappearing from all those Plumbers surrounding them, the TARDIS reappeared on the outskirts of Panorama City. Josh walked over to the TARDIS doors before looking at the city for the second time.

"It's never looked better."

"What's out there?"

"A city that's protected by the children of some friends," Josh said as he closed the doors.

"Friends of yours," Mike asked.

"You could say that."

"What do you need us to do?"

"Just stay in there. I'll back with a few friends," Josh said before opening the doors again.

"All right. Be careful out there," Mike said.

"You don't need to worry about me." Josh then walked out of the TARDIS before closing the doors and walking into the city. "Okay. If I remember correctly, Jayden's guidance that day would help me find the Shiba house again," Josh said before running through the city in a blur. About two or three minutes later, Josh once again found himself in front of the gates leading to the Shiba house. Before he could open the gates and walk inside, a sword placed itself on his shoulder.

"Identify yourself and I may be lenient towards you," a voice behind Josh said.

"Do I at least get a question?"

"Was that the question?"

"No. Do you happen to be related to Jayden Shiba," Josh asked.

"I'm his son. What does it matter to you," the voice asked.

"I'm an old friend of his. The name's Josh." The figure behind him recognized the name Josh had given him before lowering his sword from Josh's shoulder.

"Sorry about that hostility. I didn't know who you were until now. My dad told me about how he, my mom, and the rest of the Samurai Rangers fought an army of resurrected Nighloks with another team of Rangers. I'm to guess you were the leader of that team?"

"I am. Josh Hedgehog, prince of Sol and Red Omega Ranger at your service, whoever you are," Josh said.

"Sorry again. The name's Jeremy. Jeremy Shiba," Jeremy said, introducing himself.

"So you live here?"

"With my sister and friends."

"That's good. I was actually sent here to rescue you," Josh said.

"Rescue us? From what," Jeremy asked.

"I'll tell you inside. It's a seriously long story. Could take well over an hour to tell you everything up to this point."

"All right. Let's head inside so you can start explaining." Jeremy then opened the Shiba house gates before leading Josh inside and into the main building of the estate.


	18. Chapter 18

Once inside the Shiba house, Jeremy had introduced Josh to his sister, Maria, and his friends, Elias, Miranda, and Alejandro. When asked to explain why he was here, Jeremy said that Josh came to recruit all of them for a mission that would require an army to pull it off.

"How are you gathering this army and how are you going around the universe," Elias asked.

"Because of the scrolls this guy is giving me," Josh said, pulling the current scroll out and giving it to Elias.

"Are we on there, Elias," Miranda asked as her brother read the scroll.

"Yeah. According to this scroll, we're the 'Descendants of Samurai'. There's also a 'Unique Ice Dragon', a 'Trio of Aliens Related by Blood', and the 'Sons of the Dragon Conqueror'. I'm guessing it's code of some sort."

"It is. All of you are the children of the Samurai Rangers. In Thorn's unique code, that makes you 'the Descendants of Samurai'," Josh said.

"Who's Thorn," Jeremy asked.

"The one who gave me this quest to accomplish. I accused him of being an agent of the mastermind behind all of this. I realize my mistake now. I should have found out more. I apologize for everything I said to you, Thorn. You can come out now." As if on cue, Thorn walked out of the kitchen with a cup of tea in his hands.

"I figured you would regret your decision to abandon me. I trust you found the TARDIS hidden in the recesses of Plumber storage," Thorn said.

"I have. If you're willing to forgive what I accused you of, I'm willing to let you back into the army," Josh said.

"All is forgiven, Josh. I understand why you said I could be disclosing information to Rose. You couldn't figure out which side I was on, so you and Frost walked out of that room. I understand it all, Josh, and all of it is in the past."

"Excellent. Welcome back, Thorn."

"Thank you for letting back into the fold," Thorn said.

"So you're Thorn."

"I am, Jeremy Shiba."

"I never told you my name," Jeremy said.

"You didn't have to, Jeremy. Thorn watched all of you, monitored your progress, and waited for the time you would be ready to fight," Josh said.

"Indeed. I believe the time for you to fight is now. Are you and your friends willing to fight for what's right and stop this menace to the multiverse," Thorn asked.

"I'm willing to fight for what's right."

"So am I," Elias said, standing up.

"You can count me in," Alejandro said as he stood up.

"I'm ready to fight," Miranda said.

"If my brother's in to fight, then so am I," Maria said.

"Excellent. The Descendants of Samurai have joined the fight."

"Great, but we need an extra ranger in case we need to fight as our true selves," Jeremy said.

"Yes, that is a problem with an easy solution," Thorn said before looking at Josh.

"What? Wait a minute. I'm already part of another team of rangers. This is just demoting me down a level."

"True, but every last Omega Ranger is now in Rose's possession. You don't have a team and they need a sixth ranger to complete the team. You're the Mobian for the job, Josh."

"Okay, but where am I going to put my morpher? I don't have my backpack with me," Josh said.

"I say otherwise," Thorn said before pulling out Josh's backpack.

"How?"

"I went back to the original timeline, took your pack when you weren't looking, and brought with me."

"Thanks," Josh said as he put his Omega Morpher in a side pocket of the backpack.

"Now that's done, you'll need this." Josh watched as Jeremy walked to one of the bookcases before coming back with a box containing a spare Samuraizer. "Josh Hedgehog, you are now the Blue Samurai Ranger," Jeremy said as Josh took the Samuraizer out of the box.

"Now that the team is complete, let's head out to the next stop on this universal tour," Thorn said.

"Back to the TARDIS. Once more unto the breach go the Samurai Rangers."

* * *

"You're gonna love the TARDIS. It may look small on the outside, but you'll be amazed at the inside," Josh said as he led the rest of his team to the TARDIS. On the outskirts of Panorama City, they found Mike waiting near the TARDIS doors.

"I was wondering when you'd get back," Mike said.

"Hey, Mike. Well, I'm back with the friends I promised to come back with."

"I can see that and Thorn's back in the group."

"Hello again, Mike. It's good to see you once more."

"Are we good to go, Josh," Mike asked.

"Good to go, Mike," Josh said.

"Great. Let's go."

"Allow me to get the door." Josh then snapped his fingers, opening the TARDIS doors with ease.

"How did you learn how to do that," Mike asked.

"The same way I learned how to drive a TARDIS," Josh said as he and everyone else stepped inside. Once inside, the other rangers inspected the interior of the TARDIS with the exception of Jeremy, who was inspecting the TARDIS console.

"This is amazing technology. Who designed it?"

"The Time Lords, inhabitants of Gallifrey, where this precious piece of technology was found by Plumbers on a salvage mission long ago."

"Why are there six consoles here?"

"Because it was meant to be piloted by six individuals," Josh said.

"Meaning that all of us can drive."

"Exactly right, Maria, so everyone take their places." Jeremy, Elias, Miranda, Maria, and Alejandro did as Josh instructed and picked one of the separate TARDIS consoles to man. Once everyone else was in place, Josh took his place before Thorn entered coordinates into the computer.

"There's your next stop, Josh."

"Thanks, Thorn. Everyone, brace for departure," Josh said before everyone at the consoles prepared to leave. Inside, the TARDIS engines whooshed as every one of the Samurai Rangers did their separate operations. Outside, litter was blown away as the TARDIS dematerialized.


	19. Chapter 19

"So where are we going now, Thorn," Jeremy asked as he and the other Samurai Rangers piloted the TARDIS to its destination.

"Bakugan City, home to the Bakugan Battle Brawlers and their children," Thorn said as he monitored the progress of the rangers.

"That must be where the 'Fighter with an Internal and External Flame' lives," Josh said.

"Precisely. You now know that by 'fighter', I mean 'brawler'. Now you need to figure out which attribute this particular one belongs to."

"Obviously, it has to be an attribute that deals with fire."

"Correct. The brawler you're searching for is a Pyrus brawler. He has an apartment in the city, so it shouldn't be too hard to locate him," Thorn said.

"No, it shouldn't be," Josh said as the TARDIS landed in Bakugan City.

"Aren't you afraid that someone out there will see this," Elias asked.

"This city is home to creatures from another world. Ask me that again."

"Never mind. I'm okay."

"Great. Josh, good luck on your search," Thorn said.

"Thanks." Once Josh had exited the TARDIS, the engines started whooshing again as it began to dematerialize.

"What are you doing, Thorn," Josh asked before Thorn opened the doors.

"Going to save a few friends. Be careful. Rose's bounty hunters could be out there."

"Of course. Good luck, Thorn." Josh waited until the TARDIS completely dematerialized before walking deeper into the city. Once he had gotten to the residential district, he saw someone having difficulty with four bags. Being the person (or Mobian) he is, he decided to lend a hand and help out.

"Need any help with that bags," Josh asked as he walked up to the struggling citizen.

"No, I'm good," he said before a can of soup fell out of the bags. Before it could roll into traffic, Josh stopped it with his foot and brought it up to his hand. "On second thought, I may need some help with these bags."

"That's what I figured," Josh said before taking two bags.

"Thanks for the help, man. What's your name," the man asked.

"I'm Josh."

"I'm Trent."

"You live around here," Josh asked as he put the soup can into one of Trent's bags.

"Yeah. My girlfriend and I have an apartment in the city. Aren't you living around here," Trent asked.

"I was living with a friend, but he's out of town today for a family reunion."

"That's too bad. Wait. Maybe you can stay with me and Kate until your friend comes back from his reunion," Trent said.

"Thanks, Trent."

* * *

Once Trent led Josh to the building he lives in, he called down the elevator to take them to the right floor.

"You'll love Kate, but not too much, I hope."

"Don't worry. I have a girlfriend, too. I'll make sure not to interfere in your relationship," Josh said.

"Thanks," Trent said before the elevator doors opened and they walked out. Once they had gotten to the right apartment, Trent reached his leg out and banged the door with his foot.

"Just a minute," a female voice on the other side said.

"Take your time, Kate." Ten seconds later, the door opened and a woman with wet blonde hair and a robe stood in the doorway.

"Just got back, Trent?"

"I did. That's Josh, by the way," Trent said as he walked past Kate and into the apartment.

"Nice to meet you, Josh," Kate said as Josh entered the apartment.

"Nice to meet you, Kate." Once inside, Josh and Trent went into the kitchen before emptying the bags of their content and sorting it all into the right locations.

"This is amazing, Trent."

"Thanks, Kate. Now could you make yourself decent for our guest?"

"What," Kate said before noticing she was still in her robe. "Thanks for the warning, Trent. I'll be right back."

"I've got this, Josh. You just take a load off on the sofa," Trent said.

"Thanks, Trent," Josh said before he sat down on the living room sofa. He then grabbed the remote before turning on the TV and flipping channels.

"You okay over there, Josh?"

"Yeah. I'm just trying to find something to watch." Josh then settled on an airing of The Dark Knight Rises before seeing a sleeping German Shepard on the floor. "Hey, Trent," Josh said, getting Trent's attention.

"Yeah," Trent asked.

"What's with the dog?"

"That's mine. He's Maximus. Definitely a right name, considering his breed."

"Yeah. A German Shepard prefers to have an intimidating name. Did you find him at a shelter or something," Josh asked.

"Something like that. I found him as a puppy on the street, so I made sure he was taken care of," Trent said.

"Then when you and Kate got this apartment, you found him, took him in, and made sure he was cared for?"

"Exactly. Speaking of which. Here, boy." Quick as a flash, Maximus woke up before running over to Trent.

"For a German Shepard, he sure is fast to react when his owner calls him," Josh said.

"Yeah. It's funny, really. He may be a German Shepard, but he runs like a greyhound," Trent said before getting a can of dog food from one of the cabinets and putting the contents into Maximus' food bowl. "Eat up, buddy. You deserve it."

"I wouldn't be surprised if either of his parents was a greyhound."

"I wouldn't, either," Trent said before Josh's iPhone started vibrating.

"Of all the times to call," Josh muttered before answering the call. "Yeah. All right. I may have found him, but I'm not 100% sure. Done."

"Who was that?"

"My friend. He's coming back from his reunion early. Apparently, a tiger escaped from a nearby animal sanctuary and ruined the event, so everyone had to go home earlier than they thought," Josh said.

"That's too bad. Are you going to meet him," Trent asked.

"Yeah. Then I thought that you, Kate, and Maximus should come with me."

"I don't know."

"Don't know about what," Kate asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"Josh's friend is coming back from a family reunion and he wants us to go with him when he meets up with the guy," Trent said.

"I think it's a great idea. We should meet Josh's friend."

"I guess I'm outnumbered two to one. All right, Josh. Tell your friend we'll be there you meet him."

"Cool," Josh said before typing up a quick message and sending it to Thorn in the TARDIS.


	20. Chapter 20

"So this is where your friend's meeting you," Kate asked as she, Trent, Josh, and Maximus stood in the exact spot the TARDIS appeared and disappeared.

"This exact spot, Kate. This is where I'm supposed to meet him," Josh said.

"What is your friend's name? I never asked," Trent said.

"Thornton Harrison."

"So what kind of transport is he using to get back here?"

"Bus. It was the quickest way he could get here," Josh said.

"Makes sense," Trent said.

"It does," Kate said before debris started being blown away.

"Right on schedule, Thorn."

"I thought his name was Thornton."

"Yeah, but I call him Thorn just for fun," Josh said as the TARDIS materialized in front of him and everyone else. The sight of the TARDIS was enough to cause Trent to drop Maximus' leash.

"I don't believe it. I thought these was all but extinct," Trent said as he inspected the TARDIS.

"They were, but this one was found by an intergalactic group of police officers on a salvage mission."

"And they found this on the surface of Gallifrey?"

"They did. I was surprised at first, too, but it's here," Josh said before the TARDIS doors opened and Aaron stepped out. "Aaron. I figured I wouldn't see you again after the timeline we were in was tampered with."

"I know, but Thorn was able to recruit Lily, Gabriella, and I for a second time and he happened to recruit Marty, too," Aaron said.

"It's Martin," Martin said from inside the TARDIS.

"Be quiet, Marty. I'm talking to an old friend." Martin simply growled as Aaron turned around to face Josh again before noticing Kate standing there. "Hey," Aaron said.

"She's taken and her boyfriend happens to have a German Shepard with him," Josh said before pointing to Maximus.

"Never mind. I'm okay with one girlfriend right now."

"That's better. Trent, get Kate and Maximus into the TARDIS. We're leaving."

"Right you are," Trent said before leading Maximus inside.

"Kate, let's go," Josh said.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Get in here, Kate. It's for your own safety."

"I don't care. I'm not going inside that thing while Josh's here," Kate said.

"He only lied because he had to," Trent said.

"Thank you. You're a lot more understanding than Kate is being right now."

"I'm not moving from this spot until I get an explanation."

"All right. You asked for this, Kate." Trent then stepped out of the TARDIS before grabbing Kate by the waist and walking back inside. "Done," Trent said as he placed Kate back on the floor. Once inside, Trent inspected the TARDIS console while Kate had a stern talk with Josh.

"So you were lying about the reunion, living in Bakugan City with a friend, the tiger from that sanctuary, the bus, and your friend. How can I know that you're trustworthy if you lied about everything up to this point," Kate asked.

"I know how this may seem, but I am trustworthy when the time demands it or when I need to get out of a tight bind," Josh said.

"That does it. I'm out of here."

"Kate, we might need you if we encounter the mastermind behind all this."

"I don't care. I'm getting as far as I can from you," Kate said before walking over to the TARDIS doors.

"You have to listen to me, Kate. I'm a Mobian. Like Trent said, I had to lie. Would you really follow an alien into battle with an evil mastermind that's stolen entire cities and worlds," Josh asked. Kate thought over Josh's words before releasing her grip on the door handles.

"I suppose you have a point, Josh. Just promise me that you'll be honest with me from now on."

"I promise to you, Kate..."

"Gilbert," Trent said.

"I promise to you, Kate Gilbert, that I will not tell another lie to you from this point on. However, I can tell a lie to all others because this promise only applies to you and no one else," Josh said, giving his word to Kate.

"That's good enough. So what exactly is going on around here," Kate asked.

"I think Thorn is better suited to answer that question. You take this one, buddy."

"But of course," Thorn said before explaining the entire situation to Kate.

"Where to next, Trent," Josh asked as he took over for Trent.

"Some place called the Pride Lands. I don't know who or what's there, but it better be important. After that is some world called Equestria. Not sure about that one, either, but I'm sure Thorn must know something about it. Otherwise, we wouldn't be going there or to the Pride Lands."

"The Pride Lands are our next destination, but we need to recruit a few other soldiers before heading out."

"Who exactly are we recruiting, Thorn," Trent asked.

"There are six attributes in the game of Bakugan, correct," Thorn asked.

"Yeah. Pyrus, Aquos, Haos, Ventus, Subterra, and... Darkus. Now I see what you're getting at, Thorn. You're lucky I just happen to be related to a Haos brawler, be dating a Subterra brawler, and know a Ventus brawler and a Darkus brawler.

"I do know that much."

"How do you know," Trent asked.

"He observed all of you when you were younger and waited for the right time to recruit you into an army to fight the mastermind behind recent events."

"Precisely. I know that you, your brother, Kate, her brother, and two of your friends were contacted by the spirits of the Six Ancient Warriors when you were younger," Thorn said.

"Wait. Six Ancient Warriors," Trent asked.

"Apollonir, Frosch, Lars Lion, Oberus, Clayf, and Exedra. Only five of them were able to find someone to pass on a gift that would be useful later on in life. That time has come, Trent. Soon, you and the others blessed by the warriors will unlock your inner strength to defeat Rose and put things back the way they were."

"Okay. I suppose Kate and I can join the battle, especially after finding out we have special abilities given to us by spirits who contacted us earlier in our lives."

"Excellent. Josh, don't do anything just yet. I'm going to see if I can't track down everyone else we need," Thorn said as he walked over to the door.

"We'll be here waiting for your command," Josh said before Thorn walked out of the TARDIS for a recruitment drive.


	21. Chapter 21

After Thorn had recruited Trent's brother Ray and his friends Adam and Spencer, the TARDIS was programmed to land in the Pride Lands. Once there, Josh was sent out to find the prince who resided at Pride Rock, the centerpiece of the Pride Lands.

"I'll make sure he comes here safely. One question, though," Josh said.

"Go ahead," Thorn said.

"Why do I have to find him? Why not any of the others?"

"Because both of you are royalty. I believe you may be able to convince him to come along with us."

"That definitely sounds like something I would say and it makes perfect sense. I'll be right back," Josh said.

"And be careful. If Rose recruited rogues from Avalar to her cause, who knows if she hasn't done the same with rogue lion prides," Thorn said.

"Good point. I'll be safe." Josh then stepped out of the TARDIS to find himself changed into a lion with brown fur and blue eyes. "I'll never understand these dimensional laws," Josh muttered before walking towards Pride Rock. Once there, he saw a group of elephants, zebras, and buffalo being held hostage by a group of lions. He ducked behind a rock before he could be seen by one of the lions in the group.

"We're looking for the prince of the Pride Lands. If we get the information we're looking for, we might let you go back to your pitiful lives," the leader said.

"Great. I hate these guys." The gang of rogues gave the elephants, zebras, and buffalo five minutes to come forward with any information. When no one had stepped up, the leader conferred with his gang before turning back around to their captives.

"If any of you aren't willing to come forward with any information, then I guess these lands just lost a few residents. Kill them all."

"Stop right there, you rogues," Josh said as he stood on the rock he was hiding behind.

"You again! Don't just stand there! Get that lion," the leader said before part of his gang chased after Josh.

"Stop right there if you know what's good for you," one of the lions chasing Josh said.

"Do you really think I'm about to surrender like that? You lions are so thick."

"That does it! Just wait until we get your paws on you."

"I don't think so," a mysterious voice said before tackling one of the lions. Once the dust had cleared, Josh saw that a lion with a dark brown mane, cream-colored fur, and green eyes had the lion pinned down under his paws.

"You," the leader said as he caught up to the rest of his gang.

"Who were you expecting? My grandfather?"

"Get both of them. The boss will like that we've captured both the prince and the wrench thrown into her plans."

"You won't get both of us if we split up," the lion said before he and Josh ran into two different directions.

"Get them," the leader said before his gang split up again. Once they were gone, Josh and the mysterious lion got out of their hiding places before laughing at the stupidity of the rogues.

"I can't believe they were that thick to believe that we split up," Josh said.

"Yeah. That was good."

"Definitely. What's your name?"

"Shujaa. And you," Shujaa asked.

"I'm not really from around here," Josh said.

"So you're from another pride?"

"Sort of. You don't happen to live at that rock structure over there, do you?"

"You mean Pride Rock? I do live there if that's what you mean," Shujaa said.

"Pride Rock? Is that what it's called? I didn't know," Josh said.

"I figured you wouldn't. You did say you weren't from around here."

"I did, didn't I? Okay. Before we can go back to my home, we have to get one of those rogues."

"What? You saw what they were trying to do. They were trying to kill us," Shujaa said.

"That's true, but they were doing what they were ordered to. I'm just trying to figure out a few things," Josh said.

"And what would those be?"

"Who hired them and why are they after us?"

"And you figure that capturing one of those rogue lions might get you the answers you need," Shujaa said.

"Precisely. You're catching up, Shujaa," Josh said.

"What's the plan for capturing one of those guys?"

"Easy. I just need you to act as bait."

"Why should I act as bait? Why can't you do it," Shujaa asked.

"Because it was my plan. Don't try to get out of it. Otherwise, I'll be forced to use my claws for something other than tearing meat apart," Josh said.

"Are you threatening me?"

"What if I am? What are you going to do about it?"

"You have no idea who you're messing with," Shujaa said, glaring at Josh.

"Neither do you," Josh said as he did the same.

"All right. I'm willing to play along, but I want answers the minute we're done."

"Deal." Josh and Shujaa then shook paws to seal the deal between them before the latter lion went off to attract the attention of one of the rogue lions.

"Come and get me, you slack-jawed numbskulls," Shujaa said before running away.

"After him." The rogue lion pride then chased after Shujaa before one of them saw him heading back towards Pride Rock.

"You're not getting away from me," he said before chasing after Shujaa. Once Josh had seen the rogue lion running behind Shujaa, he got ready to pounce and restrain him.

"Now!" Josh shouted as he jumped on the rogue before tying him up in the rope he had brought with him. Shujaa came by afterwards and saw the rogue's legs tied together.

"Nicely done," Shujaa said after Josh's handiwork with the rope.

"Thanks. Now let's get him back to base." Josh dragged the rogue lion all the way back to the TARDIS' location before he knocked on the doors.

"You'll get used to this," Josh said, noticing the expression on Shujaa's face. After about six seconds, Thorn opened the doors before seeing Josh with Shujaa and the restrained rogue.

"Back so soon, Josh?"

"Yeah. I got Shujaa and one of the rogue lions hunting for him," Josh said.

"Of course. Interrogate the rogue and find out what kind of information he can give us," Thorn said before letting Josh, Shujaa, and the rogue enter the TARDIS. As soon as they were in, Josh dropped the ropes connecting the rogue's legs together.

"Aaron, see if you can find a chair in here."

"Done," Aaron said before searching the TARDIS for what Josh had asked for.

"Thorn, who are we looking for on Equestria?"

"The grandson of Princess Celestia. He and his younger sister are situated in Canterlot. I also know that his mother's older brother and his family live in the Crystal Empire."

"Got the chair, Josh."

"Good. Get Lily, Gabriella, and Marty to help you in tying the rogue up," Josh said.

"We're on it," Aaron said as he helped the rogue to his feet.

"Great. Now he's calling me Marty," Martin muttered as he helped Aaron, Gabriella, and Lily.

"Next stop: Equestria," Josh said as he and the other Samurai Ranger guided the TARDIS to its next destination.


	22. Chapter 22

The TARDIS engines whooshed as it materialized on the outskirts of Canterlot. While Josh and Thorn was searching the city for Princess Celestia's grandson, Trent and Aaron would interrogate the rogue and see what kind of information they could get out of him.

"All right. There are three kinds of inhabitants on this unique world; unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies. There are also alicorns, but there are only six of them alive currently; Princess Twilight Sparkle, Princess Cadence, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Brightheart, and Queen Chrysalis. Of course, Twilight and Cadence aren't on Equestria at the moment. Neither are their respective husbands, Quicksilver and Shining Armor. They may not be on Equestria at the moment, but their children remain. Brightheart and her brother reside here in Canterlot while their relatives Dusk and Dawn live in the Crystal Empire," Thorn said as he and Josh walked out of the TARDIS.

"Are you sure we should be leaving the TARDIS unattended like this? What if someone comes along and takes it," Josh asked.

"You're right. I'll just see if there's an invisibility setting for it."

"Just stay here. I already know where it is." Josh then entered the TARDIS before turning on the cloaking system. He then walked out of the now invisible TARDIS. "There. The power may get drained, but it'll be worth it to ensure this isn't stolen by the wrong hands or hooves," Josh said.

"Perfect. Now to find Striker and Brightheart," Thorn said as he and Josh set hoof onto the Canterlot streets.

"So where would we find them?"

"I may know where. Follow me." Thorn then led Josh to a bookstore with a 'CLOSED' sign on the front door.

"Thorn, it's closed. We shouldn't be going in there," Josh said.

"Do as you like, Josh. I'm going inside," Thorn said before entering the store. Once inside, Thorn walked up to a Pegasus with grey fur, a brown mane and tail, green eyes, and a lightning bolt on his flank before talking to him.

"I don't know if I should go in there, but someone needs to save Thorn before something bad happens to the guy." Josh then entered the store, drawing the Pegasus' attention towards him.

"I'm sorry, but I told your friend here the store's closed for the moment. You'll have to wait until we open up again," the Pegasus said.

"I just need some help finding a book on Equestria's ancient history."

"Sorry, but you'll just have to wait until we open again. Besides, we have a collection of books on that subject. Is there anything else about this particular book you're looking for?"

"Yes. It contains information on Princess Celestia, your grandmother," Thorn said.

"How do you know who my grandmother is," the Pegasus asked before an alicorn with lavender fur, a purple mane, violet eyes, and a heart-shaped sun on her flank walked into the room.

"What's going on, Striker," she asked.

"We're trying to warn you about a threat that's shown up recently," Josh said.

"The greatest threats to Equestria have already been defeated by our mother and her friends."

"We're not talking about a local threat. We're talking about a threat that comes from beyond your world."

"All right. What is this threat you're talking about?"

"I should let my friend explain it to you. Thorn, if you will," Josh said.

"Why should I be the one to explain? Why can't you do it?"

"Because you know more about it than I do."

"Valid point. Very well. This threat goes by the name of Rose and she's taking entire worlds. I fear your world will become part of her collection if you don't believe us," Thorn said.

"No tricks?"

"No tricks. This is 100% real. None of this is a joke. You can put us to the test if you don't believe either of us," Josh said.

"What do you think," Striker asked, turning to Brightheart.

"I think they may be right."

"Good enough for me. We're in, but will we be able to bring along a few passengers?"

"What do you think, Thorn?"

"They might, considering how many they'll be bringing along."

"How many are you thinking," Josh asked.

"Well, there's our grandmother and grand-aunt, my marefriend, her younger brother, and our relatives living in the Crystal Empire, so that's six," Striker said.

"I think we can manage that. Right, Thorn?"

"Indeed we can, Josh," Thorn said.

"Great. I'm sure you already know where my grandmother and grand-aunt live, my marefriend and her younger brother live nearby, and I already told you where Dusk and Dawn live."

"I'm sure Josh and I can bring everyone else here safely."

"Then off to the Crystal Empire I go," Josh said.

"Be sure to keep the TARDIS away from the Crystal Ponies, Josh," Thorn said.

"Done." Josh then left the bookstore before trotting over to the TARDIS landing site. Once there, he reached his hoof out only to feel empty air in place of the TARDIS. "Great. Sent back to square one again," Josh muttered before walking back into Canterlot.

"You're back."

"Thorn, we got a problem."

"What's going on," Thorn asked.

"It's gone. The TARDIS is gone," Josh said.

"Impossible. It was being protected. What could have happened?"

"My guess is that rogue escaped, took control of the TARDIS, and brought it and everyone inside back to base. I never should have brought him inside."

"You only did what you thought was right. No one can blame you for that," Thorn said.

"You're right. Rose's planned this from the beginning. She knew what would happen even before it did," Josh said.

"She must have gone back and planted that TARDIS."

"It had to be the Doctor's TARDIS. There are no more in existence. What else would it be?"

"Looks like we'll have to hoof it to the Crystal Empire now," Thorn said.

"I'm afraid so, my friend," Josh said.

"Very well. Brightheart, you'll have to go to the castle to convince your grand-aunt to come with us while Striker does the same with his marefriend and her younger brother."

"At least I get a chance to see Sapphire," Striker said.

"Good. Now move out," Thorn said.


	23. Chapter 23

"First, I arrived in an alternate timeline where I was still at home. Then, that rogue took off with the TARDIS. Who knows what'll happen next to knock us back this time," Josh said as he and Thorn rode a train to the Crystal Empire.

"Calm down, Josh. Things can't possibly get any worse than this," Thorn said.

"That's one thing I hate."

"What exactly?"

"That when someone says 'nothing can go wrong' or 'things can't possibly get any worse', something happens to make the situation worse than it already was. The next thing I know, I could get my entire memory of this endless quest wiped from my mind," Josh said.

"What do you mean 'endless quest'," Thorn asked.

"Just that. Every time we've been set back, we just build an army from whatever we have at hand. It's all beginning to feel like some low-rate adventure movie I've been pulled into."

"Well, I'm sorry, but Rose stops us at every turn."

"Maybe I would have stayed at home and spent my summer hanging out with Damon and Jason," Josh said.

"If you did, you would have been captured," Thorn said.

"Like I am right now?"

"What?"

"I'm only here because of Frost. If it wasn't for him, I would be in some unknown part of the universe, trapped like a stinking rat in a cage," Josh said.

"How can you be in two places at once," Thorn asked.

"Have you even watched an episode of Doctor Who? I'm here and on Sol because time was turned back to the very moment this whole adventure started."

"Two of you."

"That's right, but we can't meet each other because that would create a paradox and tear the entire universe apart," Josh said.

"More of this 'Doctor Who' nonsense," Thorn asked.

"No. Well, yes, but with a dash of Back to the Future and a pinch of my own common sense. I'm going to see if I can make sense of everything's happened so far." Josh then sat down on the floor before concentrating on the chain of events up to this point.

'Taking and imprisoning entire worlds, cities, and innocent people. What's the connection between all of that? There's something bigger happening here. I just need to figure out what that is,' Josh thought before coming to a realization.

"What is it, Josh?"

"She's planning to unleash evil everywhere that hasn't been taken by her already," Josh said.

"What do you mean," Thorn asked.

"There is and has been evil in this entire multiverse. If Rose unleashes all of it, it could start an interdimensional war."

"I fear you're right, but what about all the other universes she's taken and the cities?"

"That I can't answer. Not now, at least. What I do know is that it'll take much more than us to stop her before her machinations can come to a crescendo," Josh said before the train slowed to a halt.

"What's going on, Josh," Thorn asked.

"I don't know, but it sounds like we should investigate and find out exactly what stopped the train." Josh and Thorn then left the train car before seeing a crowd of ponies near the front of the train.

"What's going on," Josh asked one of the ponies.

"The conductor just stopped the train. Said some lion jumped onto the tracks," the pony said.

"Shujaa." Josh and Thorn then made their way to the front of the crowd before seeing Shujaa's prone form lying there on the tracks.

"Try to see if you can get everyone here to get back on the train," Josh said.

"I'm on it. Don't worry about this. Just a random animal jumping on the tracks. Nothing to see here."

"What the hay were you thinking, Shujaa? Jumping in front of a moving train is dangerous."

"Sorry, but Trent, Aaron, and Frost sent me to find you and Thorn," Shujaa said.

"Did anyone else escape," Josh asked.

"No, I'm afraid not. The four of us were lucky enough to get out of there."

"Where are Aaron, Trent, and Frost?"

"The Crystal Empire. Aaron saw that it was the closest place from where we jumped ship," Shujaa said.

"Amazing coincidence. Thorn and I were headed over there before you jumped onto the tracks," Josh said.

"Then it's a good thing I found you, then."

"I guess so."

"What's going on, Josh," Thorn asked, walking up to Josh and Shujaa.

"Shujaa, Aaron, Trent, and Frost were able to get out of the TARDIS before it was stolen. Shujaa was sent here to get our attention and escort us to the others," Josh said.

"Where are they?"

"The same place we were heading."

"Lead the way, Shujaa, if you think you can still walk," Thorn said.

"Give me a minute. I need to collect myself. I was almost run over by a train, after all," Shujaa said as he got up to his feet. The moment he was ready, Shujaa led Josh and Thorn straight to the Crystal Empire.

* * *

"So, got any news for us, Thorn," Aaron asked the moment Thorn, Josh, and Shujaa entered the building he, Trent, and Frost set themselves up in.

"Not me, Aaron. I believe Josh may hold the answer to that very question."

"Josh?"

"I do have something, but it's something you won't like," Josh said.

"Tell us, anyway," Trent said.

"I'm afraid that Rose is planning to unleash evil onto this entire multiverse."

"Evil? What kind of evil?"

"The kind of evil your parents dealt with before you were even born. All of you should know. You grew up on the stories of their past. Right, Aaron," Thorn asked.

"You sneaky Mobian. All right, my dad told me that he fought some of the most powerful criminal organizations such as Team Aqua, Team Magma, Team Galactic, and Team Plasma and always walked away victorious. Your go, Trent," Aaron said.

"I remember my dad telling me about how he, my mom, and the rest of the original Brawlers went up against a Bakugan named Naga, battled the Vexos, and how he participated in the war between Neathia and Gundalia. It seems that our parents all did something extraordinary in their youth."

"That's right. Frost's parents were the ones who managed to pull Avalar back together after it was torn apart," Josh said.

"And mine were the ones who managed to unite two opposing prides."

"Looks like we heard from everyone here except you," Trent said, looking at Josh.

"Hold on, Trent. Josh's parents obviously didn't do anything worth talking about in their youth."

"Hold on! I'll have you know that my dad did things that would put your parents to shame."

"Like what," Aaron asked.

"Like taking down someone who threatened to steal all the life-force of every last person in Station Square, going back to Feudal Japan, and defeating the greatest evil to threaten... Mobius," Josh said before realizing something.

"What is it, Josh?"

"She's after me."

"Who is," Aaron asked.

"Rose. She wants vengeance because of what my dad did to her mom. She must be Bloom's daughter," Josh said.

"I'm afraid she does, Josh. She wants to make you pay for what your father did to her mother and she won't stop at nothing until you've exhaled your last breath."

"Maybe that's why I haven't been captured yet. She wants the pleasure of striking me down on the spot."

"Well, we won't let that happen, Josh."

"Don't be so sure. She may be easy to defeat, but the same can't be said for her other allies," Josh said.

"What," Aaron asked.

"He's right. I've watched Rose meet with others. There are others with her," Thorn said.

"Like who?"

"Malefor, Zira, Scar, CLU, Emperor Barodius, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, and King Zenoheld. Ringing any bells?"

"Yeah. My dad fought against Barodius and Zenoheld."

"Malefor's the name of the dragon my parents fought against in Avalar's core," Frost said before noticing Shujaa's silence.

"Anything to add, Shujaa," Aaron asked.

"Only that Scar and Zira just happen to be part of my family tree."

"But I don't understand. Barodius and Zenoheld are supposed to be dead, along with Zira, Scar, Sombra, Chrysalis, and Malefor," Trent said.

"You're only partially right, Trent."

"How so?"

"Barodius, Zenoheld, Zira, Scar, Sombra, and CLU are all deceased, but Malefor was only sealed inside Avalar's core while Chrysalis and her changeling horde were blasted out of this very city. I understand how she would have resurrected Zenoheld, Barodius, Zira, and Scar, located Chrysalis, and released Malefor from his crystalline prison, but I don't understand how she was able to rebuild CLU or resurrect Sombra," Thorn said.

"She must have the power to do all that. That can be the only explanation to all of this."

"I completely agree," a feminine voice said.

"I know that wasn't you, Thorn," Josh said.

"No, it was me." Josh turned around to see Princess Celestia enter the room along with Striker, Brightheart, Princess Luna, a white-furred alicorn, a pink-furred unicorn, a yellow-furred unicorn, and a black-furred unicorn.

"Since you failed to get her, I decided to bring Sapphire and her brother along with me here," Striker said.

"Sorry. I just forgot."

"That's quite all right now that we're here now. So, inform us about this threat that has arisen recently," Celestia said.

"Of course," Josh said before explaining everything to Celestia.


	24. Chapter 24

A bright flash of light appeared on the shores of Destiny Islands, the next destination Thorn had in mind. Once the light had cleared, Josh, Trent, Aaron, Frost, Shujaa, and Striker took a look around the island.

"Where are we," Josh asked.

"The main part of the Destiny Islands," Thorn said.

"So, is there another island nearby?"

"There is. The island's across from here. You can see clear as day from the beach."

"Who are we looking for here, Thorn," Josh asked.

"Only the son of a Keyblader. I believe he may be of use to us, but you must be the one to persuade him to follow us. I must recharge my powers," Thorn said.

"What if we need you?"

"I'm sorry, Josh. I only have enough power to send me back to my fortress. There, I rest until my powers are at their peak level. Be careful, Josh."

"Same to you," Josh said before Thorn disappeared in a flash of light.

"Where's he going," Trent asked as he, Aaron, Frost, Shujaa, and Striker walked up to him.

"To recharge his powers. Meanwhile, I have to persuade some guy to come with us."

"What guy," Aaron asked.

"Don't know, but he's either here or on the other island across the way. Thorn wouldn't have brought us here if he wasn't," Josh said.

"Valid point. Looks like we'll have to split up between the two islands. Josh, you take Frost and Striker to that other island while Trent, Shujaa, and I check around this island."

"Got it, boss. Let's go." Josh then led Frost and Striker to the island's shoreline while Aaron, Trent, Shujaa walked into the city, unaware of the fact they were being monitored by Rose from her fortress.

"Keep running, hedgehog. This time, you won't get away from me," Rose said before turning to the ten silhouettes in the room with her. "Bring all of them to me. Make sure that hedgehog is brought to my personal chambers before imprisoning the rest."

**Understood. **With that, the ten shadows walked out of the room to follow their orders while Rose returned to observing Josh.

"Soon, mother. Soon, you will have your vengeance on the one who destroyed you," Rose said as she watched Josh lead Striker and Frost to the island shoreline.

* * *

"Great. The island's all the way over there and we don't have any way to get to it besides a canoe," Striker said.

"You're wrong, Striker. You and Frost have your wings," Josh said as he walked to the beach's edge.

"But what about you? You'll be stranded here," Frost said.

"Not in the slightest." Josh then manipulated the ocean's water before using it to create a bridge that connected the two islands. "Anything else to say," Josh asked before walking across the water bridge.

"Why can't we do that?"

"Some guys have all the luck, Frost." Moments later, Josh stepped onto the shoreline of the smaller island before deconstructing the water bridge.

"Perfect. Now to find this 'Keyblader's son'."

"Hold on a minute. How did you make that water bridge," Striker asked as he and Frost landed on the beach.

"I was born with extraordinary powers you've missed out on, Striker. That's how I was able to create the bridge between the islands," Josh said.

"So I'm the odd one out because you and Frost have powers of your own. I've got nothing because I'm just a Pegasus."

"That's life, Striker. Sometimes you're handed lemons and sometimes you're handed sour grapes. Seems like you got there just when they ran out of lemons."

"And I'm sure you were there when they started handing them out," Striker said.

"Of course I was. That's why I have powers you will never possess in your entire life," Josh said.

"Great. My own remark used against me. This is turning out to a really great day for me." Striker and Frost followed Josh as he walked into the tropical forest of the island.

"Wait. Something's not right here."

"What are you talking about," Striker asked.

"Someone's here," Josh said before kneeling to the ground.

"What are you doing," Frost asked.

"Trying to find some footprints. That'll lead me to find whoever's here with us." Once Josh had found what he was looking for, he brought up his arms before bringing them back down and sending a massive shockwave throughout the ground. Frost and Striker watched as a shadow fell out of a nearby tree. "Stay right there. I'm armed," Josh said.

"Don't try to pretend you're armed. I saw you three before I made a hard landing on the ground," a voice rang out from the tree's base.

"How do you know that? I could have a hidden dagger and you wouldn't know about it."

"Maybe you do and maybe you don't. You're not armed. You don't have anything to fight with."

"That's where you're wrong," Josh said before bringing out his sword and throwing it into the tree's bark.

"Okay, okay. You're armed. I'm sorry," the voice said.

"That's what I thought. Now get out here before I make sure the sword doesn't miss next time."

"All right. I'm coming." Josh used his telekinesis to retrieve his sword just as a teenager with short brown hair, a graphic t-shirt, denim jeans, and sneakers came out from the shade.

"What's your name," Josh asked as he sheathed his sword.

"Taylor," the teenager said.

"What's your purpose here, Taylor?"

"I'm just here."

"That's not an answer," Josh said.

"Sorry. I was only hiding out here because of the disappearances I've heard about," Taylor said.

"You mean like Mobius, Sol, and Thunderia?"

"Exactly. It's not only worlds. It's people and cities that are being taken as well."

"I know that because I was there when it all started happening," Josh said.

"Josh, now might be a good time to move while we've got the chance."

"Not now, Striker. What else do you know?"

"Not too much. I only know about this strange metallic building up there among the stars," Taylor said.

"Josh, we might want to get a move on," Striker said.

"In a minute. What kind of building," Josh asked.

"Just this building that looks like a museum."

"A museum in space. I wonder."

"Josh!"

"What?! What could be so...," Josh started before seeing seven robots in front of him and the others.

**Life form identified. Josh Hedgehog, Prince of Sol and Red Omega Ranger. You will come with us.**

"I don't think so, Lara. I'm not going anywhere with you gearheads."

"You know them," Taylor asked.

"They were my friends. At least, they were before they had their emotions, humanity, and independence taken from them," Josh said.

**You have no way of resisting, Mobian. You are inferior to the Omecha Rangers.**

"That is so lame. I could have come up with a better name than the Omecha Rangers."

**You dare insult us?**

"I do. What are you gonna do to me," Josh asked.

**This will happen to you if you do not surrender. **Mecha Lara then fired off a shot at a nearby tree before it disintegrated into nothing.

"Somehow, I expected that to happen. After all, my dad was turned into you a long time ago. Remember that, Lara? Remember how I was destroyed right there by my own father?"

**You are attempting to interact with the organic life form known as Lara-Su. This is impossible because the unit is no longer available.**

"I know. You're just a cold, heartless machine following the orders of your master," Josh said.

**You will submit.**

"Never. I'd rather die than surrender to the likes of you."

**This can be arranged. However, the mistress wants you alive.**

"Why? So she can kill me herself? That will never happen," Josh said.

**You have no way of resisting us.**

"And you have no way of forcing me to listen to you."

**That is where you are wrong. Units Blue, Yellow, and White.2, he is here. **Moments later, three more robots came onto the shore.

"Get me your mistress. I want a word with her," Josh said.

**Request acknowledged. **A second later, a hologram of Rose was projected from Mecha Lara's palms.

"Well, look at who we have here," Rose said.

"Turning my friends into heartless wasn't enough for you, was it? You had to go and do the same thing to my girlfriends and best friend, didn't you?!"

"It was only necessary. Your friends weren't enough to get you to submit, so I had to go one more level up and transform the three you treasured the most."

"Has anybody ever told you that you are a heartless wrench," Josh asked.

"Only a few. I think that your dragon friend there might recognize one of them," Rose said before a dragon with sky-blue scales and yellow eyes was dragged into the room.

"Frost, don't do what she wants," the dragon said.

"You didn't have the right! She did nothing to you!"

"You're right, Frost, but she did her part as an excellent bargaining chip."

"You are heartless. I'm not submitting, either," Frost said.

"Very well. Put her into the holding cells," Rose said.

"You may think you're clever, but you'll never get away with this while we're still standing."

"It's too bad that you just said that, dragon."

"Why is that," Frost asked.

"Gas them, my soldiers," Rose said before a cloud of green gas started surrounding Josh, Taylor, Striker, and Frost. Once they breathed it in, they all collapsed onto the sand.


	25. Chapter 25

When he started to come around after being rendered unconscious by sleeping gas, Josh took a look around his surroundings through blurry eyes and saw that he was in an energy cell along with Trent, Aaron, Frost, Taylor, Striker, and Shujaa.

"You too, huh," Aaron asked.

"Yeah. How'd she get you," Josh asked.

"Apparently, she transformed some guy named Chase Witwicky into an unstoppable cyborg. Trent and I tried our best, but even we didn't stand a chance again CyberChase."

"CyberChase?"

"My idea. Better than Trent's 'RoboChase'," Aaron said.

"You shut up. My name was better," Trent said.

"Right. Keep telling yourself that, Kuso."

"So where are we," Josh asked.

"My best guess would be a dungeon," Aaron said.

"Obviously, a futuristic dungeon by the look of it."

"Definitely futuristic," Trent said as he placed his hand on the cell wall.

"Now the question is 'How do we get out of here?'," Aaron said.

"I don't think we can. This thing looks like it won't fall any time soon."

"You're right. Even a giant boulder won't make a dent."

**You are correct. These cells have been designed to withstand all you have at your disposal.**

"Great. I thought I was done with you."

**You have been called up to our mistress for upgrading. Unit Green, deactivate holding cell.**

**Command acknowledged. **As soon as the cell was open, Josh stepped out before the cell re-energized.

"Josh," Aaron said.

"Sorry, guys, but this war is hopeless. I don't have a choice. There's nothing else to do," Josh said.

"That's a lie! There's always something you can do."

"Not this time, Aaron. This time, surrender is the only option."

**You have submitted, Mobian?**

"I submit. Your might and the might of your mistress was too strong for us. I'm ready to be upgraded," Josh said.

**Excellent. Come with us.**

"You can't do this, Josh! This isn't you," Aaron said.

"Sorry, but we can't beat Rose's forces. Sooner or later, you'll give up and surrender. There's nothing we can do except surrender. Face it. We're beaten. Rose has won. That's the truth. Nothing else to it. Now, I need to report for upgrading. I'll see you when I see you. Lead the way, Lara."

**Acknowledged.**

"Great. This is just great. Josh's given up." Frost watched as Josh was led down the corridor by Mecha Lara and saw that an electric sphere was forming in the palm of his left hand.

'I figured something was awry with Josh's behavior,' Frost thought as Josh was led out of the dungeons.

* * *

"So does this process from Mobian to Robian sting," Josh asked.

**It hurts at first, but you don't remember the pain once you've been transformed.**

"I figured you would say something like that. So, what hurt more; the transformation or the shock?"

**There was no shock during the transformation.**

"You're right about that. The shock is more recent," Josh said before sending the sphere of electricity he created through the back of Mecha Lara's head. "One down, nine to go. Just try to track me down, Rose." He then walked away from Mecha Lara's prone form before trying to find the front doors. Once he found them, he looked to see that there was no solid ground anywhere near the entrance.

"Taylor was right. There is a space museum, but what's being stored up here," Josh asked himself before seeing an information desk close by. He walked over to it and grabbed one of the maps before reading through the exhibit names. One of the names caught Josh's attention: 'The Hall of Royalty'. "This must be where Mom and Dad are." Josh then used the map to lead him to the exhibit that he wanted to find.

"Perfect," Josh said before prying the doors open. Once inside, Josh took a look at all of the portraits in the room. "Let's see here. King Sonic. Queen Sally. King Thunder. Queen Gale. King Scourge. Queen Alicia. Queen Blaze. King Jet. Queen Flare. Prince Shining Armor. Princess Cadence. Prince Quicksilver. Princess Lindsay. Prince Drake. Princess Courtney. Prince Cloud. Princess Mist. Nothing here for Dad. Something's wrong here." While looking at the map again, Josh saw six zones marked as 'Off-limits.'

"Bad move, Rose. Just because you marked them as 'Off-limits' doesn't mean I'll follow the tip," Josh said before walking out of the room. Once outside, Josh used the map to guide him to the first out-of-bounds zone. Once there, he saw that a keycard was required to enter. Instead of swiping a keycard from Rose, he put the map in his back pocket before prying the doors open. "I never was one for keycards." Once inside, he flipped the light switch before seeing thousands of canisters lining the walls.

"Mysterious canisters. I have to see what these are," Josh said before grabbing the nearest one. "Shining Armor. Sounds familiar. Hold on. That was one of the names in the Hall of Royalty. Those aren't just portraits. They're people. They just had their souls taken away. I have to save them." Josh then started grabbing all the canisters he could carry before the doors opened again. Josh turned around to see Mecha Manik, Mecha Sonia, and Mecha Jewel enter the room.

"Oh, you three. Fantastic," Josh said with seventeen canisters in his arms.

**Do not be afraid. We are here to help, Josh.**

"How do I know that you're not planning to rat me out to your boss?"

**We have no loyalty to Rose. We have loyalty only towards you.**

"All right. What if I trust you and you turn around before selling me out," Josh asked.

**Logical question. That's just like you, Josh.**

"You're not lying. You really are Manik, Sonia, and Jewel."

**Of course. The others had their memories of you placed in a chip that Rose removed once the process was complete. However, we grabbed the chips when she had her back turned.**

"Sneaky," Josh said.

**We've learned from the best.**

"All right. Let's get to work. Jewel, see if you can find a cart to hold all these canisters. Manik and Sonia, you're with me to grab as many of these as we can."

**Affirmative.**

"Good. Move out, troops," Josh said before everyone went to fulfill their objectives. Moments later, Josh, Manik, Sonia, and Jewel were outside the canister chamber with all canisters secured. "Now that we have all of the canisters in that room, we can go about saving everyone in here."

**What can we do?**

"Good question. Manik, see if you can find out where all those worlds and cities disappeared to. Jewel, go through this entire museum, free everyone trapped, and see if you can't find a way to get them out of here. Sonia, see if you can free the others from their servitude. I'm going to have a little chat with Rose," Josh said.

**You're giving her exactly what she wants, Josh. You can't face Rose. She'll finish you.**

"I know. That's why I need to face her alone. If I go down, I go down knowing you helped me out. I can also tell everyone I meet in the afterlife that I led one hell of a team and had very good friends. Goodbye." Josh then saluted all three of them while they did the same for him.

**Farewell, old friend. Once more unto the breach.**

"Once more unto the breach. Allons-y," Josh said before walking away. Above them, Rose monitored the entire conversation between Josh and her three most loyal warriors.

"I have suspected there was dissention in my ranks. If they want to fight against me, then so be it. Unit Pink, awaken and seek out the traitors so that I can deal with them personally," Rose said before Mecha Lara started reactivating herself.

**Orders understood. Nothing will interfere with the strategy. **Mecha Lara then got up from the floor before beginning to follow her instructions.


	26. Chapter 26

**Stolen universes and cities would be in one of the zones marked 'Off-limits.' Only problem is I don't know which one it would be. **Manik was using his internal navigation circuits to locate the stolen worlds and cities inside the museum. **Josh just had to take the map with him. Now I have no way of knowing where Rose's collection is stored in this place.**

**Stand down, Unit Blue. **Manik turned around to see Lara standing there with her blaster aimed right at him.

**Lara, please. I can see what Rose is planning. This can't happen. Josh, Jewel, Sonia, and I won't let it become part of history.**

**This is the strategy. Neither you or that troublesome Mobian will intervene. You will be destroyed!**

**Just try it.**

**Once you have been decommissioned, I will seek out the other two traitors.**

**Then do it! Kill me!**

**Orders acknowledged. **Just before Lara could fire her blaster, Sonia came from behind before disabling her systems. Once she was down, Sonia kneeled before inserting her memory chip.

**No one hurts my little brother. Not even you.**

**Thanks for the save, Sonia. I thought for sure that I would be reduced to scrap metal.**

**Not with me around. Now I just need to find the others.**

**Good luck.**

**Thanks. **Seconds after Sonia had left, Lara's systems restarted before she rubbed the back of her neck.

**What happened?**

**Only Sonia bringing you down like a Sontaran.**

**Was I working for someone?**

**Not anymore. You wouldn't know where all of the stolen cities and universes would be, would you?**

**I do. Follow me.**

**Lead the way. **From her personal office, Rose saw the entire exchange and was quickly growing agitated.

"You want a war, Josh? Then so be it. Let's see how you last against my partners," Rose said before pressing the button placed on her desk. Underneath, several holding cells were opened and nine shadows walked out into the corridor. Once out of their cells, they crossed over to the stairs before walking out of the room.

* * *

"Come on, Rose. Your quarters must be here somewhere on this thing. I just need to find out where it is," Josh said as he simultaneously looked at the map and walked around the complex. "Maybe I could ask someone for directions because I'm getting nowhere."

"I can lead you there," a disembodied voice said.

"That's great. Lead the way then," Josh said before a hole suddenly appeared in the middle of his map. "Great. Now there goes my only way to get... around." Josh stopped when he saw four Daleks through the map's hole. He then dropped his map before trying to run away only to be stopped by five Cybermen.

"Great. As if this day wasn't bad enough already," Josh said, turning around to face the Daleks.

"You have been identified as Josh Hedgehog, the Mobian who has interfered in events for too long," one of the Daleks said.

"So what if I have been a wrench in Rose's plans? She deserves it! She's taken too much. My home, my parents, my own sister. She has gone way too far and you're not about to get in the way. Why are you working with her, anyway?"

"She has promised us the universe."

"The universe? Why? So you can destroy every single non-Dalek/non-Cybermen life-form you can find by exterminating or upgrading them?! Is that what she's promised you," Josh asked.

"She has promised us the parts that have not already been claimed," the Dalek said.

"She's promised everything else to you?"

"This is correct."

"Of course. I've got it all worked out," Josh said, figuring out Rose's entire plan.

"Explain yourself," the Dalek said.

"Rose's promised both the Daleks and the Cybemen the rest of the universe to do as you please. She's promised CLU the Earth as his new system with the exception of the cities she's stolen. Scar and Zira get control over the Pride Lands. Queen Chrysalis gets all of Equestria with the exception of the Crystal Empire, which goes to King Sombra. What else? What else? Malefor, Zenoheld, and Barodius. No doubt she'll go back and turn the war between Gundalia and Neathia in Barodius' favor. She'll give Zenoheld the attribute energies Trent and his friends possess and give control of the Dragon Realms to Malefor. That's the entire alliance."

"You've figured it all out, Josh. I admire your abilities. It's a shame you won't be able to stop me," Rose said.

"Who says I won't," a voice said before the Daleks were destroyed one by one. Josh and the Cybermen turned around to see a hedgehog with brown fur, one blue eye, one bionic eye, two metallic arms, two metallic legs, a golden crown, and a red cape standing right behind him, wielding an upgraded sniper rifle.

"Who the hell are you," Josh asked.

"Just like I used to be in my youth. Nothing has changed at all."

"I asked you a question."

"I thought of all people you would know who I am," the hedgehog said.

"You're not..."

"That's right. King Josh Hedgehog, at your service. I'm you, only even more epic."

"I can tell. So, what's with the metal?"

"Oh. That's pretty the result of something reckless you'll do in the future. I can't tell you much about it. The laws of time forbid it," Future Josh said.

"And I become a cyborg," Josh asked.

"It's not too bad. I mean, you lose your powers but you upgrade the cybernetics to simulate that."

"To make it look like I haven't."

"Exactly. I may not be able to tell you what happens that you become a cyborg, but I can tell you that you should aim for the ocean right under us. If you don't, then your landing's gonna hurt. Seriously hurt," Future Josh said.

"Got it. So what's that exactly," Josh asked, referring to the rifle.

"This is my plasma rifle. Instead of firing off simple bullets, it fires deadly plasma bolts that can easily fry a person's brain the same way it can crack the armor of a Dalek. It's just one of my many creations."

"Well, it's definitely something, I'll tell you that."

"Yeah. Argyle's got some competition in the field of inventions," Future Josh said.

"I can tell. Maybe we can talk about everything you've created when you're done with these guys," Josh said, referring to the Cybermen.

"You're right. Hold this and stand aside." Josh simply did as his future counterpart commanded before he stood before the Cybermen.

"Cybermen! You've been a threat to this multiverse for too long. It's about time someone pulled your plugs."

"Impossible. You do not have the power to stop us. You will be deleted," one of the Cybermen said before firing. Josh watched as his future counterpart created a shield that absorbed the shot fired.

"I don't think so," Future Josh said. "In the words of the immortal Jack Harkness, feel this!" Future Josh then launched five streams of pure electricity at the Cybermen from one of his metallic arms. Once hit, the Cybermen fell to the floor, deactivated.

"What was that?!"

"Just a simple blast of electricity generated by my cybernetics. I aimed it at the Cybermen and they went down faster than the Commando Elite," Future Josh said.

"Well, the good thing is I don't lose my infinite collection of pop culture references at the cost of my youth," Josh muttered.

"Hold on! I'm only 39, you little prick. Have some respect."

"Sorry. You only looked old, that's all."

"I get it. I do look ancient aside from the metal arms and legs. Being a king/father will do that to a man," Future Josh said.

"Yeah. So how exactly do I become a cyborg in the future," Josh asked.

"I can't say much, but I can tell you it was necessary because of the damage you sustained from the stunt I mentioned earlier."

"What kind of damage? Or do the laws of time forbid you from telling me that?"

"Yes," Future Josh said.

"I thought as much. So which way to Rose's quarters," Josh asked.

"That's easy. Down that way, turn left a couple of times, turn right three times, then head down the dark corridor. Got all that?"

"Yeah. Down, left, left, right, right, right, and then down the type of corridor favored by the Vashta Nerada."

"Good man. You'll do fine. If you'll excuse me, I need to direct everyone Jewel's freed to the escape pods. Don't worry, I'll make sure there's one for you," Future Josh said before wheels appeared from under his feet.

"Okay, that's cool," Josh said.

"Thanks." Josh watched as his future counterpart skated away before following his directions to Rose's office. Once at the door, it opened to reveal Rose standing in the middle of the room with a sword in her right hand.

"I was hoping you would come here."

"Then you know why I'm here, then?"

"Of course. The final confrontation between the hero and the villain," Rose said.

"Exactly. They have that in almost every movie I've ever seen," Josh said.

"I know. The Lion King, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Snow White and the Huntsman, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, The Amazing Spider-Man, Transformers: Dark of the Moon. If you've seen them, I have."

"I know that because you've been observing me, trying to find my weakness. Bad news for you, sister: I don't have a weakness."

"Everyone has a weakness, Josh. You're no exception. However long it'll take me to find it, I'll find your weakness," Rose said.

"And I'll make sure you never do. The time for chatting is over," Josh said as he unsheathed his sword.

"I couldn't agree more." Rose used her telekinesis to bring down a sword placed on her wall before facing Josh. "If this isn't the end for all heroes, then I'll make sure it's the end for one," Rose said.

"Bring it on."


End file.
